


Wondering,  Fearing

by IrisPerea2004



Series: The Saga of the Elder Scrolls [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Genre: A modern girl in tamriel but with a twist, Adventure, Angst, Anxiety, BAMF Women, Dorks in Love, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Female Friendship, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, I can't write fight scenes, I'm Bad At Summaries, Modern Girl in Tamriel, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Oblivion Crisis, Oblivion Main Quest, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Tags May Change, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, for shit, ish, my character has anxiety issues ok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2020-07-08 10:01:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 48
Words: 38,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19867747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrisPerea2004/pseuds/IrisPerea2004
Summary: Elizabeth didn't ask to be a hero. She certainly didn't want to be saving the world, herself, and her brother, from an evil cult literally opening gates to HELL. And she most definitely did not expect to fall in love while she was doing it.A modern girl in Tamriel... But with a twist! Please R&R and bully me into continuing if you like it even a little bit. I'm going to need a lot of encouragement.





	1. Prologue

Brian was crying again. And, as had been usual for the past month, both of Elizabeth Zeigler's parents fighting so loudly they didn't hear their son, squalling in his bassinet.

Elizabeth slammed her compendium of Tolkien down on the dining room table, and stormed over to her baby brother. Fast, furious, but very sure fingered, she picked up the delicate four-month old baby and slung him across her chest in a russet brown wrap, designed especially for carrying such small burdens. 

She had to get out of that goddamn house.

Elizabeth's house- rather, her parents house- was nestled at the back of a rutted dirt road that wound down onto what used to be old Route 66. It was small, but their property was very large, and it allowed Elizabeth a lot of free room to wander and clear her head. 

In the wrap, Brian squirmed silently to a more comfortable position. He had stopped crying almost as they were out of earshot of the house, and settled into a wide eyed silence.

It was hot, even for August in New Mexico. Elizabeth hoped in her heart it would rain that afternoon. If she had brought her phone, she would have called her brother and asked how the rest of her siblings were doing. (He had taken them into town for the day, to take their minds off of the drama at home.)

Elizabeth was glad for her wide property in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It reminded her of places she would rather be. Trees clustered together, leaving portions of gold-dappled shade in the clearings. The air was still, but not stifling. She rested her back against a solid tree, her hands placed protectively over Brian, her eyelids heavy for some reason that had nothing to do with the warm quiet.

She must have fallen asleep, because when she finally made the laborious swim back to consciousness, she was made aware of two things.

One: she was now dressed in rough, scratchy sackcloth. Her thick red-brown hair that she kept tied away from her face with an elastic band was now irritatingly loose around her face, and yet the wrap was the same as before.

Two: She was leaning against rough stones in a niche in the wall. She and Brian were in an old fashioned prison cell.


	2. Fighting Onehanded

Elizabeth got up, and carefully checked Brian, and then herself, over for any injuries. Both of them were completely unmarked by whatever it was that had brought them here.

A joke. It had to be a joke. One of her siblings must have thought of this to take her mind off of the chaos at home. Irritation-- they meant well, but they were taking it too far-- seeped through her frame. This absolutely reeked of her brother's sense of humour.

"Ha-ha," she said sarcastically. "Very funny. Now let me out, Justin."

"Who are you taking to, little girl?"

The voice that rang out mockingly after the echoes of her own voice had died away was completely unfamiliar. Hoarseness and harshness seemed to pervade the decidedly masculine voice, and echoed out from the cell across from her own.

Elizabeth looked up warily to meet the stranger's blood-red eyes that gleamed maliciously out a thin, ash grey face. His thin grey hands rattled the rusty iron bars that locked him in. More than anything else, it sent Elizabeth into a state of controlled panic. 

She was not home. She wasn't anywhere she recognized, and she most certainly did not recognize the race of the alien face leering at her from the opposing cell.

"Never seen a Dunmer before, little wench?" he hissed, narrowing his eyes in a way that was uncomfortably perceptive. "What are you in for?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she mumbled, trying to back away.

His grin was vicious. "Little Imperial brats. Think you're going to get out easy do you? Wrong! You and your filthy little child are going to die in here, you hear me? You're going to die!"

Elizabeth pressed herself into the wall, shaking. She had never been in shock, but she was fairly sure she was feeling it now. She pressed her trembling fists into her mouth in an attempt to muffle her small sounds of fear. Her heart raced so insanely fast she was worried she might have a heart attack then and there.

What the hell was going on? 

"Yeah, pray to the Divines while you can," he hissed as somewhere above them a door slammed and suddenly they heard the tramp of metal booted feet on the stone. Elizabeth looked up, belatedly wondering how much more of this she could handle.

"Hey you hear that? The guards are coming...for you!"

Faintly, a female voice could be heard as she rapped out orders with the practiced ease of command. "Baurus! Lock that door behind us."

Elizabeth raised her fists shaking fists and tried to still her quaking. If they were here for her, she wouldn't go down without at least trying to take one of them with her and Brian.

Another man's voice, old and tired and tinged with insurmountable melancholy spoke. Even through the depression in his voice, a nobility not quite left behind lingered, making Elizabeth stop and wonder just who this person was, and why she seemed to dimly remember his voice.

"My sons...they're dead, aren't they?"

The sharp woman's voice gentled slightly. "We don't know that, sire. The messenger only said they were attacked."

"No, they're dead," that maddeningly familiar said softly. "I know it."

They stopped just outside her cell gate. Elizabeth found herself staring, like a jack-lighted deer, at the four people who had come to a stop before her prison. One old man and three armoured bodyguards who clearly meant business. The decoratiely etched armour was reminiscent of Japanese designs, to say nothing of the long katanas belted at each waist.

It felt like an eternity that Elizabeth stood there, fists raised in a futile show of defensive fear. Then the sharp woman's voice snapped out again.

"What's this prisoner doing in here? This cell is supposed to be off limits!'

The shorter and broader of the men made what could have passed for a shrug, at least without the armour. "Usual mix up with the Watch, I-"

"Never mind. Get that gate open."

As the broad, stocky man fumbled with his keys, the woman fixed Elizabeth with a hazel glare. "Stand back, prisoner. We won't hesitate to kill you if you get in our way," she said coldly.

The barred door finally swung open, with a squeal of rusty hinges, and in a strange procession, the three bodyguards and the richly garbed stranger filed into the cramped cell. 

The woman didn't even spare Elizabeth and her precious burden a second glance. Instead, she went straight to the bed/niche that Elizabeth had woken up on, and pressed a large rounded stone.

With a grinding, crunching noise, the wall slid away, and revealed a dark, sloping tunnel. Dumbly, Elizabeth watched as the sharp woman beckoned them forward.

For a moment, she thought she saw a look of sympathy on the purple-robed man's face. Then he twisted back, as if to see her face again.

"You... I've seen you..."


	3. Defense

Pinned. Elizabeth felt pinned to spot by those piercingly grey eyes. She could not tear her gaze away from those all-too sharp eyes.

"I have seen you before," he said softly. "You and the infant both have long dwelled in my dreams."

Half hypnotised as she was, Elizabeth took a halfstep backward, away from the richly robed old man with a blood-red jewel hanging around his neck. Was she trapped in a fantasy novel now or something? She was in a medieval dungeon, being spoken to by a silverhaired old man, who was being guarded by by katana-wielding warriors.

This was too much to take in all at once.

"Gods give me strength," the man whispered softly.

Elizabeth managed to find her voice at last. "What's going on?"

His grey eyes turned sad again for a moment. "Assassins have attacked my sons, and I will be the next to be targeted. My Blades are leading out of the city through an escape route that, by chance or by divine design, has led us into your cell."

Elizabeth scuffed her bare feet on the grimy cell floor. "And...please, sire if it isn't too much to ask, who exactly are you?"

He actually laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling with merriment. 

"Of all the worthies who coud be standing before me now, I get the one with no earthly idea of who I am!" he chuckled. His whole face changed in his brief burst of merriment. 

If Elizabeth had been feeling more herself, she would have felt insulted.

He sobered all too quickly, and the cell with its cavernous entrance to places unknown, seemed more forbidding than ever.

"I am your Emperor," he said, with trace of bygone pride. "I am Uriel Septim, and by the grace of the Nine Divines, I serve Tamriel as her ruler. I believe that before all is said and done, you too, will serve the Empire in your own way."

"What will I- What will we do?" Elizabeth asked, feeling a fresh surge of terror. Serve the Empire? it was all she could do to keep her own wits!

"You will choose your own path. But take care. There will be blood and death and heartbreak before the end."

She managed to lift her jaw, and look Uriel Septim squarely in the eye.

"Yessir!"

Uriel cut off a protest from his body-Blades with a flick of his wrist. "No arguments. She comes with us."

The sharp woman's lips thinned, but she said nothing as she led the way into the tunnels.

The rough-cut, earthy tunnel soon gave way to ancient, white-paved structure. The smoky light from the torch that the sharp woman was carrying brightened with the surrounding reflectivity of the polished walls. Tiles of cold stone, carven with strange letters, felt almost unnaturally smooth beneath her bare feet. She slowed, marveling at the exquisite craftsmanship of the statues in the niches set in the walls, perhaps forgetting that now was not the best time to be an art critic.

"Hurry up, girl," someone muttered in her ear, none too gently shunting her forward.

She lagged behind as the went down a set of winding stairs, feeling awkward and useless. The bravery she had felt when she had met the Emperor's eyes was quickly fading, to be replaced with the feeling of numb shock... until she heard the sounds of metal on metal ahead of her. She sprinted forward, and stood in front of the Emperor, unsure what exactly she was doing or why it was a good idea.

Fortunately for both her and Brian, the Blades made short work of the would-be assassins, clothed in bright crimson and black, their katana's flashing in glowing arcs followed by trails of blood, and occasionally body parts. The smell of blood hit her in a wave, and she did her best to quench the nausea and the urge to flee back to her cell where at least she was a little bit _safe_....

And then it was suddenly over. Of the six assassins who had ambushed them, all were laying on the ground in their own blood. Of the three Blades, one was among the dead.

"Captain Renault?" 

One of the other Blades, a taller, ebony-skinned man, replied with infinite and halting sadness. "She's dead. I'm sorry sire."

The other remaining Blade curled his lip scornfully at Elizabeth, but displayed all the gentleness a human could show when he spoke to Uriel. "Please, sire. We must continue onward."

The Emperor nodded vacantly. "Yes...of course. Lead on, loyal Glenroy."

When Elizabeth made to follow, Baurus shook his head. "You stay here prisoner. Don't try to follow us."


	4. Bright Blades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I took some liberties. And yes, the writing quality has fone down, but I need to keep writiing or I'm never going to keep going and it'll be a yet another fic on permanent hiatus.

"No!" 

Elizabeth blinked in surprise.

"Baurus, she is coming with us," Uriel said sternly. 

The black Blade dropped his eyes. "Yes, sir."

Uriel turned to face Elizabeth, his uncomfortably piercing eyes slightly gentled. 

"Renault's katana, child," he said gently. "Take the Captain's sword. She has no need of it anymore."

The older Blade stooped and gently unbuckled the swordbelt from around Renault waist and picked up the fallen sword. He glanced from the Emperor to Elizabeth, and back to the Emperor.

"Let Elizabeth take the sword, Glenroy," Uriel said, instructing Glenroy is if he was a rebellious child.

Genroy grimaced and muttered a 'useless' under his breath, but dutifully handed over the bloodied katana. Elizabeth took it as gracefully as she could, and nearly dropped it. It was _much_ heavier than she had thought it would be.

Elizabeth lagging behind as Glenroy led the way through the door, nervously trying to check on Brian. He was still fast asleep.

Baurus laid a heavily gauntleted hand on her shoulder without warning, and she nearly jumped a mile. "Hey. Long as you're here carry this torch and stick close," he said. "Don't burn yourself, or your baby."

Elizabeth took it clumsily, and immediately got scorched by a piece of resin that dribbled from the burning wood.

Baurus muffled a laugh. "No, not like that. Here, see?" He guided her hand gently to the proper holding position so the heady smoke didn't waft into her face. as the walked. "And it'll come in handy if we get jumped. Just shoe the torch in your attacker's face."

Elizabeth swallowed the rising bile in her throat at the sudden image the idea conjured.

"Baurus," Glenroy said irritably.

Elizabeth privately thanked whatever gods watched over these people that Brian still hadn't woken up. Her back was beginning to hurt a little bit, but she steeled herself, because she had a feeling that Brian was going to be in the wrap quite a bit. He stirred slightly, whimpering in his sleep. His mouth curved downward into the absolutely irresistiblely adorable 'c' of distress. Elizabeth couldn't stifle a smile as she shushed him back to sleep.

Baurus ground to a quick halt, bringing Elizabeth out of her reverie abruptly. "Stop. Something's up ahead."

There was a steely hiss as the two remaining Blades drew their katanas and charged forward.

"What do I do?" Elizabeth asked uncertainly. 

"Protect yourself. Protect your brother."

Baurus flicked his sword out with all the grace born of long practice, cutting into the lightly armoured neck of one, whilst Glenroy fended off the attack of yet another. Two more sprang from the shadows, unearthly blades in their hands. As Glenroy finished the first combatant, another struck, his axe just missing Glenroy's helm. Baurus snarled and ran him through, the squeal of metal on metal setting Elizabeth's teeth on edge. She locked her jaws together, longing to avert her eyes but not daring. And then it was over. With a contemptuous flick of his blade, Baurus cleaned the red off his blade on the rough weave of a robe. 

"We should find a defensible spot and protect the Emperor until help arrives," Glenroy argued as they continued cautiously through the subterranean tunnels.

"Help? What makes you think help will get here before more of these bastards?" Baurus demanded. "We need to get the Emperor out of here!"

There was a flash of color in the corner of Elizabeth's eye. Bright vibrant… 

"Stop! They're coming!" she shouting, startling herself. "Up ah-"

Baurus only just managed to get his sword back out in time to stop the quickly flashing dagger. Another assassin, strangely armoured in red and black growled in anger and drove his own, cruelly pointed sword toward Brian.

He dared try to touch Brian…?

With a fury that surprised even herself, Elizabeth dodged the questing swordpoint and clumsily yanked Captain Renault's sword from her belt.Rather unskillfully, but with a ferocity unmatched, Elizabeth drove him back, teeth bared like an angry cat. She slashed unsuccessfully, a blow which was easily ducked, but in doing so, he lost his balance and tumbled on all fours in front of the Emperor, who drew his shortsword and casually ran him through.

The fury in Elizabeth's chest abated, and she averted her eyes from the bleeding corpse at the Emperor's feet.

Brian was beginning to stir after the wild excitement of the brief and clumsy battle, and Elizabeth belatedly tried to soothe him back to a sleep she knew would not last.

Her efforts were distracted by Glenroy. He stopped the little party with a raised hand, and said quietly: "Hold up. I don't like this. Let me take a look."

Elizabeth herself took a quick scan of the descended plane where Glenroy stood before he motioned them forward again. By now Brian was blinking and wiggling, and Elizabeth was desperate for something that would put him back to sleep. She payed little attention to the conversation until she heard Glenroy curse.

"Dammit! The gate is barred from the other side. A trap!"

"What about that side passage back there?" Baurus asked, every nerve clearly on high alert.

"Worth a try," Glenroy growled. "Let's go!"

The side passage was not a side passage. It was a small room, dead-ended and starkly hopeless as a means of escape. 

"It's a dead end," Baurus said bleakly. "What's your call sir?"

Uriel was not given time to reply before Glenroy, antsy and tight strung had his sword in hand again. "They're behind us! Divines damn this all to hell!"

Baurus paused a moment, and for the first time his dark eyes met Elizabeth's icy blue ones. "Wait here with the Emperor. Guard him _with your life!_ "

Elizabeth realized she was shaking again, either from the painful flood of adrenaline or the creeping, sick feeling of anxiety in her stomach. She nearly jumped a mile when the Emperor laid a hand on her shoulder. His face was drawn and grey, tired beyond belief.

"I can go no further. You alone must stand against the Prince of Destruction. Here," he pressed the blood-red Amulet into her hand. "Take this to Jauffre. He alone knows where to find my last son. Find him and close shut the jaws of Oblivion."

Elizabeth's lips quivered. "Why me?" she blurted, her vision blurring. "I'm not a hero. I can't do anything! I don't even belong here! I-I-I'm..." she faltered as she realized that she had come close to revealing something she should not have.

He regarded her kindly. " I don't know child. But in your face I behold the sun's companion. And though my dreams grant me no opinion of success, I am comforted that you will accompany my last son until the end." He tilted her tear-streaked face up to face him. "I feel in my heart, child, that you have hidden strength that will pull you and brother through whatever will happen."

He released Elizabeth's hand, a weary smile on his face. For a quick, fateful moment, Elizabeth turned away to tuck the Amulet into the wrap for Brian to eagerly grab.

She heard a rough rumble of stone on sliding against each other. Elizabeth turned but she was to slow to stop to viciously descending blade that sank into the Emperor's heart. The old man died without a sound, his face almost grateful.

He turned on Elizabeth, an insane smile lighting up his golden face. "Stranger, you chose a bad day to take up the cause of the Septims," he hissed.

His blade spun in dizzying red and black circles. Elizabeth barely dodged his first sally. Then he struck out again, and Elizabeth fell over backwards rying to evade his blade-play as Brian screamed with fear at the smell of blood and the stench of fear that coated his older sister. The assassin bore down on them inexorably, until Elizabeth, her eyes shut tight, kicked hard at the armoured figure. He stumbled backward long enough for Elizabeth to grab the unused silver shortsword beside the Emperor and thrust it blindly upward.

There was a screech of pain like a stuck pig as Elizabeth blindly slashed and hacked at the twisted, unearthly armour that clothed the strange man.

She only dared to look when the armoured man lay in a pool of his own blood that oozed from slashes on his chest and face and neck. On thrust had gone clean through his throat and out the other side.

She fell to her knees as her stomach heaved and violently ejected every bite of food she had eaten for the last six hours. Brian screamed hysterically and Elizabeth tried as had as she could not to follow his example and wail like a child.


	5. Sewers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And after five chapters she's finally out!

When Elizabeth had thoroughly emptied her stomach of all contents, she stood up, shaking at the knees and trying to comfort the terrified baby in the russet wrap. She refused to look at the body that was impossibly no longer sprouting its blasphemous-seeming armaments, covered in her vomit.

"Hush," she whispered, blurry-eyed and shaking uncontrollably from her mixture of terror, adrenaline and pure shock at being thrown from her comfortable, solid life into this place of strange place of fantastic unfamiliarity. "Look. Look. I want you you to hold this for me, Brian, okay? See? Shhh."

He grabbed eagerly for the new toy in the form of a ruby red jewel that his sister dangled in front of him his sobs slowly quieting into softened hiccups..

Dimly, Elizabeth realized that the sounds of battle had ceased outside. She tried to still her shaking and ready herself for whatever Glenroy was going to say. WHatever it was, she felt is wasn't going to be pretty.

But only Baurus made it through the battle with the crimson robed assassins. His armour stained with drying blood, and a shallow gash scored through his cheek and another on the chestplate.

He completely ignored the mutilated body covered with half digested food, dropping his sword as he knelt beside the fallen body of his Emperor.

"No...Talos save us," he whispered, half reaching out toward the old man before his hand curled into a fist clenched in unspent grief and frustration.

When he got up, Elizabeth braced herself for an outburst that didn't come. Instead, she was met with defeat and sadness.

"We've failed. _I've_ failed," he murmured. "The Blades are sworn to protect the Empire and now he and all his heirs are dead." For a moment his cleared, and he said sharply: "The Amulet! Where's the Amulet of Kings?It wasn't on the Emperor's body."

"Oh." She dipped a hand and tugged the Amulet away from Brian who squalled and demanded his new toy back. Baurus motioned her to give it back and hide it again.

"Strange," he said in a softer tone. "He must have seen something in you. Trusted you. I've been told that it's the Dragon blood that flows through the veins of every Septim. They see more then lesser men." His eyes were uncomfortably keen in his even gaze. "He must have said something, told you to take it to someone. Who?"

"He-he said something about another heir," Elizabeth whispered. 

A spark of hope lit briefly in Baurus's face. "Nothing I ever heard about. But Jauffre would be the one to know. He's the Grandmaster of my order." A wry smile touched his lips. "Although you may not think so to meet him. He lives humbly as a monk at Weynon Priory, near Chorrol." 

Uh-oh. Chorrol? Where the hell was Chorrol?

Baurus pressed a rusty key into her hand. "Here take this. It opens the gate into the sewers, past the locked gate. That's where we were heading."

"S-sewers?" Elizabeth squeaked, feeling bile tickle the back of her throat again.

"It a secret know only to a few. Best secret way in and out of the Imperial City. Here," he added, placing a small, but heavy coinpurse in her other hand. "Use this for travelling expenses. Talos guide you safely."

"What about you?" she asked, unsure what to with either the coinpurse or the key. "What will you do?"

"I'll come with you as far as the sewer gate. As the last Blade in our company it is now my duty to guard the Emperor's body, and those of my comrades."

Elizabeth scuffed her bare, filthy foot on the rough floor. "I guess we'd better get going then." She smiled wryly. "Shouldn't keep the gods waiting for us."

Baurus nodded briefly. 

"You know, you never told me your name," he said as he struggled with a rusty trapdoor that she had unlocked for him. "I'm Baurus, but you probably already knew that."

Elizabeth looked down at the floor. "I'm Elizabeth," she said shyly. "This Brian, my baby brother."

He finally forced open the trapdoor and stood away looking pleased. "Baby brother, hmm?" he said. "I though he was your son."

Elizabeth blushed furiously. "What? No, no, he's just my brother."

She dearly wished she could cover her nose at the disgusting smell that issued from the trapdoor. She was going down there? Why? God only know what kinds of horrible bacteria and diseases and parasites were floating around in that sea of muck and less savoury things.

"Baurus," she squeaked. "I don't have any shoes."

He loooked at her and sighed. "Are those your only clothes too?"

She swallowed hard and nodded again. 

He sighed. "Follow me down. I have an idea that might work."

The bars that she clambered down were coated in a foul green slime like damp algae that clung to her palms, making her gag with revulsion as she carefully tried to climb down without touching the wrap to the fetid smelling walls.

The floor was coated in the same clingy, wet slime.Elizabeth shivered at the revolting touch on her feet. "Whatever your idea is had better be good," she hissed through her tight clenched teeth.

He picked her up carefully, ignoring her embarrassed squeaks. 

"Better than going barefoot?" he asked as he trudged through the knee-deep brown water.

Several times, Elizabeth was glad that her stomach was thoroughly empty. Particularly when they encountered the goblins.

They gave poor Baurus absolutely no warning, and Elizabeth had to be put down in the middle of the stinking water, that fortunately only came ankle deep, as Baurus tried to fend of the goblins with his left hand.

Elizabeth did her best, and even managed to give one goblin a slash on the backside, but she was worried that with all her clumsy swordplay she'd accidentally hit Baurus.

Then she actually realized where she was standing and what she was standing in...

When they finally made it to the sewer grate, Elizabeth was getting dizzy from the foul air and the effort it took to keep a her digestive organs from turning inside-out at the smell. 

"There you go," Baurus said quietly. "There's your freedom. Make good use of it. Chorrol is five days northwest of here, and if you just follow the signposts and don't get lost, maybe we'll even meet again. Take my compass. I won't be needing it, not down here."

"Thank you," Elizabeth said. "For everything."

With that awkward farewell, she stepped out into the bright sunlight of Cyrodiil.


	6. Freedom

The first thing that Elizabeth saw when she stepped out of the sewer drain was the water lapping at the lakesand. 

She whooped happily and charged straight toward the warm, summery water, not stopping until she was waist deep in water, and watched in wonder as a lone bird flew high above on the soft breath of wind that smelled like paradise after her hours in the damp, moldy, stinking, slimy close quarters of the previous six hours. Brian even looked away from the new toy he had been given to try to reach an arm out and splash at the shimmering water. When she finally waded back to shore she was soaked to the waist, and grinning like an idiot in the free, sweet breezes that made shiver.

Then she saw the Imperial City.

Of course, at that time she hadn't known it was the Imperial City. She was only aware of the fact that it was the most beautiful city she had ever seen, all made of smooth, white stone, with thick walls that seemed as if they could withstand almost any assault, and an enormous pinnacle rising regally into the sky, a proud symbol of everything that she came to protect in later years.

"Oh. My," she said, not knowing what else to say. 

Right around then, Brian spoiled the moment by throwing the Amulet into the shallow lake shore.

"No!" she scolded as she bent to pick it up. "No throwing!" 

A flat rock rose up, and extended fist-sized crab claws in her direction. It clicked warningly as it scuttled toward the bright jewel glimmering in the shallows. Elizabeth yelped and grabbed the Amulet, and skipped away from the irate looking crab-creature that was twice as large as a dinnerplate.

It clicked resentfully and scuttled back into the water, making a most peculiar hissing noise as it disappeared.

Brian laughed and reached for the Amulet. 

It took her until mid afternoon to manage to scramble up to the grand gates of the city, Brian in the wrap and sucking contentedly on the symbol of the Emperor. Elizabeth realized that he was probably getting hungry, and belatedly felt her own stomach grumbling.

She swallowed quickly, and tried to push away her instinctual shyness as she approached the leftmost gate guard.

"Excuse me?" she said. "Is-is there a place where I c'n find something to eat and some milk for brother?"

He looked a little surprised at being addressed. "Er, well, I suppose there's the Feed Bag. Or some of the inns I guess-"

His counterpart interrupted. "There's stalls in the Market, or if you're leaving, you can get food for you and milk for your babbie at the Wawnet Inn across the bridge there."

She dipped a makeshift curtsy to the guards. "Thank you sirs. And what road should I take to Chorrol?"

The quicker tongued guard answered first. "Take the Red Ring Road north until it turns west and up and just keep following the road."


	7. Journey Food

Elizabeth pushed over the ten pieces of gold ('septims?') to Nerussa, the tall golden skinned elf who ran the Wawnet Inn. Nerussa smiled at her as she passed a loaf of bread, some cheese, and a flask of clean water to the solemn, blue-eyed girl.

"Where did you say you were going?"

"Chorrol," Elizabeth said, stowing away the coinpurse again.

"Chorrol! That's a week's travel. What's the baby going to drink?"

Elizabeth stifled a sigh and adjusted her grip on the bright-eyed baby boy. "I was just about to speak about that."

Nerussa leaned casually on the bar counter. "He looks almost old enough to eat some of your food...but certainly not for a full week. I'll be right back."

An hour later, the purse at her side noticeably slimmer, and another two flasks belted at her waist. These were full of cold, clean goat milk, enchanted, so Nerussa said, to keep things chilled. Elizabeth believed her as soon as she had tried it and splutterd on a drink of chilled wine that had been warm in a bottle not five minutes before.

An empty flask was secreted in Elizabeth's rough shirt, reserved for heating the milk when Brian needed to be fed. And judging by his restless and plaintive cries it was going be soon.

They set up camp in a grove not far from the road, and with a sigh of relief, Elizabeth took Brian out of the russet wrap. He wiggled and stretched as she put him down to start the fire, blessing her father for insisting that she know how to start a fire without matches.

Weynon Priory came into sight around midday of the fifth day she and Brian had been travelling. Elizabeth was thankful, because just that morning Brian had drunk the last of his goat milk. He was already getting restive, but when he had been given the Amulet of Kings he had sucked happily on it until he had fallen asleep.

Weynon Priory was built of grey stone, settled on the crest of the upward slope that she had been toiling up all morning. She sighed, wiping her forehead of the beads of sweat that were developing on her forehead in the summer heat.

The bell tolled solemnly from a grey stone tower on a building somewhat separated from the main building. As she strode up to the door a sheep lifted its head from the tall grass and bleated at her.

Elizabeth brushed herself off and raised her hand to knock.

The door was answered by a black robed monk that looked at Elizabeth and Brian a little suspiciously. 

"What do you want?"

Elizabeth licked her lips. "I need to speak to Jauffre, sir."

"He's upstairs. Go ahead," the man said, still suspicious.

Elizabeth stepped in cautiously, letting her bruised, calloused feet relax for a moment on the cool stone floor. Then she continued up the stairs.

An old man sat behind a desk, running a finger down the lines of ink in a clothbound book. He looked up sharply and fixed Elizabeth with fierce eyes.

"I'm brother Jauffre. What do you want?" he said abruptly.

All of Elizabeth's carefully prepared speech went completely out the window behind Jauffre.

"The....The Emperor sent me to find you."

"Emperor Uriel? Do you know something about his death?" he said, sharp and suspiciously. 

Oh, damn. She wasn't handling this well at all. "I was with him when he died."

She really wasn't handling this well.

"You had better explain yourself. Now," he said with steel plain in his voice.

"He sent you the Amulet of Kings."

She tugged the Amulet of Kings away from Brian who immediately kicked up a fuss. "I'm sorry," she said, trying to wipe the slobber off of the facets. 

"You used the Amulet of Kings as a child's pacifier?" Jauffre demanded, shocked.

"It was the only thing I had, and it sent him to sleep," she said, shrugging.

He cleaned it off, and set it on the table. "Who are you? What do you know of the Emperor's death?"

"Can I sit down? This might take a while."


	8. Tales

Elizabeth did not tell Jauffre where she had been before she had found herself and Brian in the cell. Instead she made a vague hint to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But in her telling of the Emperor's last hours, she left nothing out. Jauffre's brow was firmly knit together as she described the crimson robed assassins with vanishing armour and weapons and the immediate trust that the Emperor had placed in her. As she came to a close with the Emperor's death and the subsequent mutilation of the assassin, Jauffre rested his hands on the table, and leaned forward slightly.

"As unlikely as your story sounds, I believe you," he said decisively. "Only somebody as strange a destiny as Uriel Septim could have brought a young woman and her brother to me bearing the Amulet of Kings."

"What about this last son that he mentioned?" Elizabeth asked warily, trying not to set off Jauffre's suspicions again.

"I am one of the few who knows of his existence," he said, rising from his chair and staring out the window. "When I was in Uriel's private guard some thirty years ago, he summoned me to his private chambers, where I found a baby boy sleeping in a basket. He asked me to take him and keep him safe," here he smiled wryly. "I have some fond memories of the child's mother and stepfather," he said softly. "Basil was a good man, if rather irreverent."

Elizabeth's mouth quirked upward a bit.

"He would visit from time to time to check on the child, at least until he was a little older. As I recall, Basil never was a fan of our intrusions into his life."

"Where is he now?" Elizabeth asked. "Surely it would be wise to bring him here as quickly as possible."

"You are exactly right," Jauffre said briskly. "When are you planning to leave?"

"Me?" Elizabeth yelped. "Who said anything about _me_ getting him?"

The old man's brow furrowed again. "The Emperor did," he reminded her. "His words were not to be taken lightly."

"I can't! I have to carry my baby brother around with me, which is deforming my back, I don't know where ANYWHERE is, I don't even know what country I'm in, or what the hell is even going on, I can't use a sword, I don't know how to wear armour, I can't cast magic, I can't throw punches very well-" her voice was rising dangerously, "-I have no money, no other clothes, two diapers, AND NO WAY TO FEED EITHER ME OR BRIAN!"

Jauffre looked a little impressed at her tirade. "I am sure you can do something," he said mildly. "Destiny does not choose its pieces lightly."

Elizabeth sunk back into her chair. "I can cook," she said tiredly. "I can cook and ride a horse." She scoffed. "Destiny sure has a wicked sense of humour."

Jauffre sat silently, lost in thought, for a moment. Finally he said quietly: "I can provision you and your brother for the journey. It'll be a light ride and won't take very long. I can pay you when you return with Martin, or you may choose to continue serving the Emperor," he cleared his throat a little awkwardly. "If you agree to bring Martin that is."

Elizabeth sighed.

"So his name is Martin?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually borrowed Jauffre's descriptions of Martin's parents from the absolutely wonderful Ultimate Empress on dA. Her comics are the greatest! https://www.deviantart.com/ultimateempress


	9. Horses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Featuring a cameo by my favourite Argonian, Dar-Ma!

"Thank you, Dar-Ma. Tell your mother that I have the septims I owe her are included in this payment."

Elizabeth opened the door and stepped out of the priory, Brian in one hand, and struggling to eat the cheese she had pilfered from Brother Piner when he wasn't looking. She saw Jauffre, speaking with a--

Alright, she had seen some pretty strange stuff in the week she had spent in Tamriel but... A lizard? Person? Girl?

Elizabeth blinked and stared. This stranger's scales were fine and grassy green coloured, fading into a light salmon pink on her face and neck. Her eyes were wide and friendly looking. As she talked with Jauffre in a strange, slight husky tone, Elizabeth could see her sharp, white teeth bared in a familiar grin.

Elizabeth steeled herself. She clearly meant no harm, and if her race were common in this world Elizabeth had found herself in the middle of, she supposed she'd better get used to them.

The lizard girl turned at the sound of the door's hinges, and smiled again. 

"Hello!" she said. "Are you new here?"

Elizabeth was caught a bit off-guard. "I…uhhh, I am! Yes I am. Pleased to meet you." Her shyness reared high int her chest again.

"Likewise!" the lizard girl said cheerfully. "I'm Dar-Ma, daughter of Seed-Neeus."

"Uh...Elizabeth. And this my brother Brian."

"He's cute!" Dar-Ma exclaimed cheerfully.

Elizabeth felt a light blush warm her cheeks, and she looked down awkwardly. Jauffre cleared his throat, and looked sternly at Elizabeth.

"Oh! Um, excuse me, Dar-Ma."

The girl nodded cheerfully.

Jauffre was holding the reins of a solid looking mare, with piebald patches of brown and white. Elizabeth grinned a little at the paint horse and offered it the sugar lump that she had also filched from the table when no-one was looking.

"I have hope I have supplied you sufficiently," he said, a trifle awkwardly. 

"Wait!"

The young brother Piner hurled himself out of the Priory, clasping a battered book to his chest.

"I've had this laying around for ages," he panted, handing it to her. Elizabeth turned it over, and saw the title, embossed in a faded coppery script. _A Manual of Spellcraft_.

"Everything I learned of magic came from that book," he said. "It'll teach you some basic spells to come in handy."

Elizabeth grinned warmly at the young monk in thanks as she stowed the volume in her saddlebags. Jauffre passed her the reins.

"Be careful," Jauffre said. "As of now, the fate of the Empire may well rest on your shoulders."

Elizabeth bit her tongue before she could issue a cutting report along the lines of: 'Way to relieve the pressure, old man'


	10. Smoke in the Sky

Jerall, the mare that Jauffre had loaned her, ostensibly with the permission of Prior Maborel was a sturdy mare, but that didn't mean that she had to be a slowpoke. The three of them, horse, woman, and baby, made much better time, even with Jerall being burdened with the food, and, much to Elizabeth's joy, extra clothing of much better quality than her stained sackcloth prison garb.

On the stops every evening, Elizabeth would tether her horse a fair distance away from camp, and let her graze at her leisure. Then she would let Brian stretch his muscles and play in the dirt while she heated milk and prepared supper for herself with one hand and studied the book about spellcraft with the other.

On the fifth day of her ride, she spotted a tall city of grey stone, Skingrad, by the map that Jauffre had added to her supplies. It was nice enough, she supposed, but there was something a little bit strange about it, and something enormously forbidding about the castle tthat loomed so high in the hill.

She did not stay long, and eventually the winemakers and their arbours of grapes dwindled back into forests where the beasts wound through the trees, avoiding man, and in turn, being avoided by most. 

On the night of the eighth day of their ride, Elizabth managed her first spell, and for the first time she lit the fire with magic. It was a triumphal feeling unlike any she had ever felt before, that at least now she could _do_ something in this wild new world. Brian did not understand and was therefor unimpressed.

That night Elizabeth did not sleep well at all. She tossed and turned all night through dreams fire and tortured lands with nothing growing but thorny bushes and bloodred grasses. She dreamed of a demonic siege machine and an army of horned men of red and black skin surrounding it, burning, hacking… Innocents shrieking in pain and terror...

She sat straight up , startling Brian, and rolled out the covers. Even though dawn was barely creeping over the horizon that was obscured by trees, she was not going to go to sleep after that. 

Within half an hour they were on the road again, Elizabeth still shaking from her nightmare.

When the sun finally rose and banished the obscuring darkness, Elizabeth pulled up short. Rising from the sea of golden grass on one side and the rolling trees on the other was a city on a hill.

Or at least it had been a city. Now all that was left was a smoking shell with the occasional tongue of flame shooting into the air.

The city of Kvatch had been destroyed

"Oh my God. Shit!"


	11. Ruins on a Hill

Elizabeth spurred Jerall into a near gallop, fear pounding in her chest.

 _Shit, shit, shit SHIT!_ she screamed mentally. _Jauffre's gonna murder me!_

She gripped the reins so hard her knuckles turned white as she and Jerall began the climb up the winding road to the ruins of the smoking city. The mare's hooves thudded against the hard stone, matching the frenetic pace of Elizabeth's heart which was pounding like a drum in her chest.

There was a small cluster of canvas tents near the foot of the hill. The survivors of whatever had happened all had a haunted look in their eyes and burns and tears in their clothing. One woman crouched in the entranve to a tent, a badly wounded baby in her arms, and tears streaking down her cheeks. She wasn't much older than Elizabeth herself. Elizabeth looked away, tears smarting in her eyes.

Smoke and the faint smell of burning meat filled the air, mingling with something that Elizabeth couldn't quite name, a scent that was worse than the blood and the screams of anguished mothers and--

What the hell was wrong with her? She was shaking like a goddamn leaf.

A golden elf caught her bridle, an expression of blank fear on his face.

"Run!" he shrieked. "Run while you still can! The guard holds the road, but will only be so long before they're overwhelmed!"

"Run? Run from what? RUN FROM WHAT?"

She hadn't meant to yell, but he still flinched back is if she had struck him."God's blood. You don't know do you? Daedra overran Kvatch last night! There was a huge-something-out of a nightmare..."

He rambled on and on, unable to stop himself reliving the horrors he had suffered. Elizabeth's blood ran cold as she listened with half an ear. Jauffre had not explained what she should do if demons started overruning the world.

The elf-- Altmer, she remembered-- let go of the horse's bridle, and stumbled blindly over his feet to lay down, mumbling to himself. An Argonian, the only one looking relatively uninjured came scurrying out of the tent, holding blood-sullied bandages. 

She looked familiar.

Elizabeth scanned the camp, quickly, taking in the bedraggled and pitiful survivors and she felt a lump rise into her throat. There were perhaps seventy people, half of them wounded, and a a third of them young children. A young Khajiit boy was clutching a gentle faced Redguard woman's arm as she gently nursed a wound in his side.

The Argonian girl that had been carrying the bandages brushed past Jerall, and Elizabeth slid off her horse.

"What happened here?" Elizabeth asked, placing a hand on her scaly shoulder. She jumped nearly a foot, and whipped around. 

"Dar-Ma?" 

The young Argonian looked exhausted but in much better shape, mentally and physically, than most of the other survivors. "Oh! Elizabeth, right?"

Elizabeth nodded vigourusly. "What are you doing here? I thought you lived in Chorrol?"

"I do. I came here yesterday with a shipment of goods from my mother's store," she said tiredly. "What are you doing here?"

Elizabeth swallowed. "I came here looking for a priest. A priest of Akatosh, named Martin."

Dar-Ma sighed. "Good luck with that. I don't think he made it out."

Elizabeth turned very cold, the bottom dropping out of her stomach. "What? A-are you sure?"

"I haven't seen him. But I suppose Savlian Matius might know more," she said doubtfully. "He's holding the barricade at the top of the hill."

Elizabeth could definitely see where this was going. _Not again. Not again. Double-triple why am I even here, not again_

"I can't go up there!" she exclaimed. "What about Brian? I'm taking a _baby_ through whatever the gods only know what!"

Dar-Ma nodded sympathetically as Elizabeth leaned against Jerall in defeat.  
_Get the heir, he said. It will easy, he said. I'll pay you, he said.  
You better pay me a hell of a lot of money._

" 'Find him, and close shut the jaws of Oblivion,' " she whispered. 

"I beg your pardon?"

"Dar-Ma, I know this is a lot to ask, but... how good are you with babies?"

"I hope you appreciate how far I'm trusting you," Elizabeth said nervously.

Dar-Ma nodded. "I swear on my mother's eggshell, nothing will happen to him."

"I hope you're right. Take care of him if I don't come back."

_Which is a distinct possibility._

Elizabeth buckled the dagger and shortsword that Jauffre had given her around her waist, praying that nothing would happen to Brian. "Be careful," she said.

"You too. Your baby brother needs you."

The 'barricade' so hopefully spoken of was little more than a row of sharpened logs set diagonally in the blackened dirt, guarded by less than twenty men.

"Stand back!" he snapped sharply when he saw Elizabeth. "This no place for you. Get back into the encampment at once!"

Elizabeth barely heard him. She was staring the looming, red-and-black gate of fire that blocked the way into Kvatch.

_If I don't say it now I never will_

"I'm here to help," she said steadily. "I was sent by the Blades."

"The Blades?"

A whisper of amazement and a tentative hope spread through the hungry, exhausted, traumatized soldiers. Savlian Matuis, however remain sceptical.

"What do the Blades have to do with us?" he asked suspiciously. 

"That remains classified," she said, crossing her fingers. These men were clearly desperate for help, even in the form of a young woman like her, if she used the proper words.

"If you insist, I can put you to use," he said warily.

The gate that stubbornly blocked the way into the ruins of Kvatch roared like an inferno, and blazed high in Elizabeth's vision. The battlefield was littered with bodies of things that had come out of that gate. She tried very hard to not look at their mangled, and half-demonical aspects. 

She tested the gate first, with a cautious left hand. It tingled and smarted, but thankfully still felt roughly in one piece.

"Here goes nothing," she muttered and plunged through the gate.


	12. Oblivion

The gate sizzled and stung and spat her out on her hands and knees into a tortured landscape of fire and rock and bloody crimsons. Elizabeth picked herself up again, brushing flakes of ash and black dust off of the reinforced leather that was her only defense against whatever horrors this alien place decided to throw at her.

A faint smell of brimstone and dirty smoke filled the foul orange air that felt like a roasting oven under the leather she wore. Across a river of molten yellow rock, Elizabeth saw a tall tower with enormous, red-dipped spike protruding into the air like an unholy crown. It was guarded by a gate that was easily fifty feet tall. A bridge led over the sluggish stream, splotched with unpleasant crimson-brown stains. Needle-toothed gremlins squatted on their haunches, growling to one another. Torn and ill-fitting breeches covered their hindquarters. 

She remembered the pitiful fireball she had managed to light the campfire with, and wondered what good a fireball would do against creatures whose domain was essentially Hell.

Answer: Absolutely none

She cautiously moved down the slope on which the hellgate sat, attempting to not to attract the attention of the half-clothed gremlins. The decidedly unreassuring thought that she didn't even know what she was doing crossed her mind. How do you go about closing an Oblivion gate?

Somebody shouted faintly, and Elizabeth heard a clang of metal on metal, and a cry of pain in a hoarse, twisted, voice. The long ears of one of the gremlins perked up, and they lifted their eyes from the liquid rock and saw Elizabeth, crouched on the hillside. They chattered excitedly and Elizabeth realized that all three were preparing to hurl magic of their own at her.

She dodged the first molten missile of fire, and it scorched the blackened ground not a foot away from her. 

Frost. Cold.

Another one tossed his own fireball, charring the leather on Elizabeth's shoulder but fortunately not seriously burning her. She called on magic of her own, in a stream of cold ice.

The gremlins snarled at her, showing sharp, needlelike teeth, and sprinted toward her through her pitiful barrage of semi-solid icicles.

"My lady, be careful!"

_My lady? That's a new one._

"What do you think I'm doing?" she yelled back, yanking her dagger from her belt.

A man in a chainmail overshirt barreled himself into one of the gremlins, and with a steely hiss, he stabbed its brother through the ribs.

"Thank the Nine," he panted. "I never thought I'd see another friendly face!"

Elizabeth withdrew her small dagger from the gremlin's throat, wincing at her sleeve which was now coated in sticky, smelly, orangish blood. She forced herself not to throw up her breakfast all over yet another corpse, dead by her own doing. She was irresistibly reminded of the assassin, laying dead at her feet, mutilated and disfigured by her own hands.

"Are you alright? Did they harm you?"

She was shaken out of her semi-traumatic reverie by the man who had semi-come to her rescue.

She really didn't want to make a habit out of that.

Her usual tongue-tied shy silence gave way under the shock she was yet again experiencing. "No. Nothing that time won't mend," she said, feeling her shoulder gingerly. It stung and bit as the leather rubbed her burn, and she mentally cursed herself for being so slow.

His blue eyes fought against the same haunted look that Elizabeth had seen in the faces of the huddled survivors in the camp that squatted at the foot of the hill as she asked him what happened to the other men he had been sent into the gate with. He struggled for a moment. "They were taken...taken by Scamps and Dremora! Some died, strewn across that bridge, some were taken… taken to the tower!"

She immediately knew what he spoke of, and felt a sense of hopelessness well up in her chest. All she had as backup was a traumatized guardsman, and she supposed to go storm these demons in their own lair? All to get some prince or another, so that could be crowned Emperor and hopefully keep this from happening!

She was having a really bad day.


	13. Home from Hellgates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iris cannot write violence, and Iris apologizes humbly. Poor author hopes you will forgive her.

The inside of the tower was worse than the outside. On the outside, it merely loomed and leered menacingly at the bedraggled and traumatized pair. On the inside, it was dark and smelled like rust and blood and things which were better left alone or Elizabeth was certainly going to vomit up all the food she had ever eaten.

And there were even more demons, or 'Daedra' as Ilend Vonius named them. Mostly the Scamps, thankfully, if thankfully could ever be attributed to a place like this.

The only way up the tower was a long and vaguely slippery slope that wound around and around the tower. It led into rooms of nameless devices and places of Demon-Daedra that were more powerful than the simple scamps.

They reached a landing, feeling bruised and bloody and burned. The smell of rotting meat was stronger here than it was in the places they had been before, and blood- human blood- was spilled on the floor. Elizabeth gagged and tried not to imagine the kind of wounds a man would have to take to have left such stains. 

There were two doors. One led onward, up the tower, and the other seemed to lead out, out of the tower entirely, unless Elizabeth missed her guess. The way forward was locked.

Locked. It would be.

Ilend stooped and examine the trail of blood as Elizabeth attempted to force the door in vain.

"M'lady, come here!" he exclaimed. "This blood is fresh. It cannot be more than half an hour old."

Elizabeth left off her futile attempts at forcing the door. "You think we should follow them then."

He nodded. "We may find some of my companions, and reinforce our numbers."

Elizabeth looked at the pools of gore doubtfully, but said nothing to gainsay her companion's newkindled hope.

The door led them onto a narrow walkway lined with black spikes protruding like a guardrail that spanned the space between the greater tower and a lesser one. Elizabeth looked down once and instantly regretted it. She just hoped that the walkway was sturdy.

Ilend's face paled slightly in the ambient red glow of whatever hellstar lit this place, and tentatively made his way forward. Above them, thunder cracked through the red haze of sky.

Thankfully, the way into the smaller tower was not locked, and so, they pushed it open and made their cautious way up the long slope that seemed to do for stairs in the towers.

There was a cage suspended in the air, over a pane of a thick, glasslike material decorated in strange swirls. Inside cowered a man with silvering hair, his bare chest streaked with sweat from the ovenlike temperatures. 

A man-shape in dark armour turned violently, drawing an ugly mace and swinging it in her direction. Ilend's sword darted out and just managed to block it, even as Elizabeth made a sound that sounded unflatteringly like a squeak.

_Warriors shouldn't squeak!_

The clang of metal on metal jarred Elizabeth's hearing and shot painful needles into her skull. "Where's the release?" she yelled over the cacophony of metal on metal screeching.

"Don't bother, there's no time," he said in a pained way, and Elizabeth realized that while he was not the source of all the blood they had seen, he was the source of a lot of it. "The guard has...the key that'll take you to the top of the tower. That's how you close the gate."

"What? How-"

She ducked as the mace whizzed perilously close to her head.

"I could use a hand here!" Ilend yelped.

"Hang on!"

The wounded man gesticulated wildly. "The stone, the sigil stone! If you take the sigil stone the gate will close."

"Sigil-?"

"I don't have time for this, you thickhead!" he snapped. "The Keeper has the key to the locked door in the Sigil Tower. Go all the way up and take the sigil stone!"

"What about-?"

"Don't worry about me!" he gaped. "I'll be dead before you shut the gate! Go help Vonius."

The dremor had already given Ilend a an ugly wound on his left arm. It-he?-growled something in a voice that grated horribly in her ears. Elizabeth gulped and steeled herself, and yanked her dagger from her sheath.

Ilend saw her, annd realized what her plan was the split second before she sank her dagger into the weakly armored neck.

The surge of bile wasn't as strong this time, something she was unutterably glad for, but she still had to bite back a weak retch as the tugged the blade back out of the dremora's body.

"Key," Elizabeth muttered, her hands busy. "Key, key…Aha! Found it!"

"Key to-"

"Key to the top of the Sigil Tower!"

"I must have missed that part," he said sheepishly. Then he respectfully saluted the bloodstained guardsman. "Nine bless you with a painless death," he said gently. "I will tell your son."

The only response was a pained grunt. "If he's alive."

The tower wound around and around like a dizzying corkscrew. Elizabeth was beginning to weary, both in body and in mind. Her magic was fizzling like the sore muscles that were unused to the weight of the steel shortsword.

 _Please,_ she prayed, _please let this be over soon._

When they finally reached the top of the tower, however, she was hard pressed to avoid thinking. At least, thinking about the raw flesh from some enormous beast, stretched like webbing between a bat's wingbones, the served as a ramp to climb up to the very top of the tower, where the Sigil Stone sat atop a pinnacle of yellow magic.

Beneath her, she heard the clash of metal on metal as Ilend valiently attempted to fend off the dremora defenders of the Sigil Stone.

She reached out, tentatively, half expecting to scorch her fingers on the glowing sone or the aura of yellow that surrounded it. 

Elizabeth took a deep breath, and yanked the Stone from its moorings.

For a moment of eternity, it seemed like nothing happened. Then an earsplitting thunderclap sundered the the air, and a wash of blinding light washed over her and the combatants below.


	14. The Priest

Elizabeth hit the ground hard, unable to catch herself, the orb still clutched in her hand. Above her, the gate cracked and vanished like the unearthly armour the assassins had worn.

Ilend Vonius managed to keep himself from falling, but barely, tottering tiredly on the spot. 

A ragged cheer went up from the remaining guardsmen when they saw the pair stagger to their feet, Elizabeth brandishing the Sigil Stone in the air. Savlian Matius ran forward and caught her by the shoulders.

"We did it!" he laughed. "You did it! You shut the gate!" He pulled her into a bruising hug. "We actually have a fighting chance now!"

She passed him the obsidian ball of stone, infected by his glee, and smiling herself. He in turn passed it to a Redguard. "Take this down to the camp," he instructed. "Tell them that the Oblivion gate is closed, because of the Hero of Kvatch!"

Elizabeth grinned weakly and blushed. She wasn't a hero, she just tried to do what needed to be done. And what needed to be done-

"Captain Matius," she said, endevoring to stand up properly. "Do you know if there could be any survivors inside Kvatch?"

He looked curious. "Yes. Just before we were pushed out of Kvatch entirely, that priest of Akatosh, Martin, was leading a group of survivors into that chapel. Why?"

Elizabeth felt a fresh stab of hope. "Well, shouldn't we go rescue them?" she said, trying to keep her exhaustion out of her voice.

Savlian Matius looked at her critically. "Not as you are now. You look ready to fall over."

Elizabeth could not honestly deny that assessment, seeing as she was all but falling over. "Do you have any suggestions?" she enquired, a bit more cuttingly than she had meant to.

A bottle was passed to Savlian by the Altmer guard, and the Captian handed it to her. "Drink it slowly," he cautioned. "It'll help."

It burned her throat and made her cough, but tasted almost sweet, like grapes. Almost immediately, she felt more awake and alert, fatigue dropping off of her muscles. She passed the half empty bottle to Ilend, and thanked Savlian.

"It won't hold off your fatigue for long," he cautioned. "But it should at least get you to the Chapel."

The inside of Kvatch looked worse than the outside. The plaza outside the Chapel was fairly swarming with Daedra, and the remains of their fiendish playings. It was complete, uncontrolled, pandemonium.

It got even worse when Savlian and his guardsmen swarmed into the plaza. Chaos erupted as blood fountained, and the smells of burning flesh were frequent as the scamps tossed fireballs that scorched and toasted.

Then, sooner than she would have thought, the plaza was cleared of demon-daedra, and Savlian Matius was grinning a triumphant, blood-spattered grin.

"We wiped the bastards out!" he crowed. "Well done everyone! Let's pull those people out of the Chapel and get them safely back to camp."

Elizabeth trooped into the Chapel behind Savlian, shaking from the release of adrenaline that the brief and ugly fight had sparked.

Inside, the Chapel was more or less whole. The survivors were huddled together, and a few lone figures went silently around, tending the wounded, and doing their best to soothe the children and people mourning for those who hadn't reached the Chapel. They were led by a man a frayed and patched gray robe.

Savlian tapped her gently on the shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Elizabeth shook herself. "Yes. Yes I'm fine. What do you need?"

Savlian smiled wearily. "You've already done more than anyone else. I know you came here for an important reason. You were sent here by the Blades, and that means you need to do what you need to do."

"But...what about the rest of Kvatch?" she asked.

He smiled tightly. "I have enough men we can flush them out of every crevice in this town. You've done enough. If you truly want to help, you can assist Tierra and Brother Martin in getting these civilians down the the camp."

He tugged his gauntlet off, and offered her a rough, calloused palm. "Kvatch is in your debt, M'lady. I feel sure that you will always be welcome here."

Elizabeth shook his hand. "It was an honour, Captain. But I'm no lady. I'm just Elizabeth."

He kissed the back of her hand, surprising her. "Good luck, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth didn't stop at helping the survivors of Kvatch to the camp. She also assisted them in putting up new tents, even after she took Brian from Dar-Ma, trying to get up the courage to speak with the son of Uriel Septim.

She hummed a folk song as she reached for a square of canvas, and bumped her hand into somebody else's. She twisted, and her eyes were met by a pair of piercing blue-gray ones.


	15. Lead Tongue

Brother Martin's eyes were just as piercing and wise as his father's. His brown hair was shoulder length and messy from his wild night.

Elizabeth found herself utterly tonguetied by those blue-grey eyes. She swallowed, and shook herself. "I-uh, I'm sorry."

_Why am I blushing now? Why??_

"No need," he said. His voice was rough from lack of sleep, but clear and slightly accented. His voice seemed almost familiar to Elizabeth, in the same maddening way that his father's had been. "Here."

Elizabeth accepted the folded canvas without thinking, but with a nod of thanks as she tried to get a grip on herself and figure out what she was going to say. Unexpectedly, however, Martin spoke first.

"I was told that you helped the guard drive the Daedra back," he said, helping her throw the grey cloth over the wooden tent frames. "That a brave thing you did."

Elizabeth blinked. "Thank you."

He laughed quietly. "If any deserve thanks, it is you."

Elizabeth steeled herself. This was very likely to not go over very well. 

"I- I was sent here. The emperor sent me to find you."

The smile on his face slid away, to be replaced with suspicion. "The Emperor is _dead_ ," he said coldly. His eyes turned into chilly flecks of ice.

"I-" Elizabeth floundered hopelessly.

"Who are you?" he demanded sharply. "What do you really want?"

She set her teeth. "You're Martin? The priest, I mean."

"Yes, I'm a priest. Do you need a priest?" his words held a bitter, self mocking tone. "I doubt I'll be of much use to you. I'm having difficulty understanding the gods right now."

"Gods or not, we need your help," Elizabeth said firmly. 

"If you came to me for help, you're more of a fool than you look," he said, even more bitter than before. "Look around. What good is a priest?"

"You are Uriel Septim's son."

For the first time, Martin looked surprised. "You mean-Emperor Uriel-? No. No, you must have wrong man. My-my father was a farmer."

"The Daedra came here for you, Martin," Elizabeth said quietly. "They know who you are, even if you don't."

"An entire city destroyed just to get at me? Why?" His eyes slowly melted away the ice that surrounded them, and replaced it with a look of dreadful understanding. "...because I'm the Emperor's son?"

"Why would I lie to you?" she asked quietly.

His eyes softened, almost imperceptibly. "I don't know... It's strange, but I think you're telling the truth. Yes. I will come with you. But where are we going?"

Elizabeth grinned tiredly. "Weynon Priory.Grandmaster Jauffre is very eager to meet you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That chapter was like all dialogue, I'm sorry! ^^; i promise the next one won't be all dialogue!


	16. Three's a Crowd

The next morning dawned gray and chilly, with a fog that seeped insidiously into the tent that Elizabeth had been offered for the night. Brian, snuggled into the crook of her arm was warm and snug, but the blankets she had brought had been distributed among those who had none, leaving her with only her cloak for warmth. 

The camp was still and quiet outside the tent, a far cry from the chaos of the previous day. Elizabeth almost smiled as she stepped into the soft greyness of the day. Then she saw Martin, his back to the tent, looking tired and worn, as if what sleep he had gotten had been light and unrefreshing.

Elizabeth backed away, hoping he hadn't seen her. Things had been _very_ tense between them yesterday, and she didn't want to have to deal with this first thing in the morning. 

"Good morning," he said quietly.

Elizabeth froze.

"I-Uh...Good morning to you too?"

"When do we leave?"

His voice was cool, but at least it wasn't as cold as the foggy morning. Elizabeth winced, thinking that they were definitely off to a bad start.

"Well...right now, I guess?" she stammered, fidgeting nervously with her fingers.

They walked, Jerall being burdened enough with their supplies, and not needing to bear the extra weight of three people. Elizabeth felt very awkward at Martin's silence as they walked. The sun eventually began to burn away the fog, and they stopped for lunch in a glade, the silence still pricking Elizabeth uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry," she blurted.

Martin looked up from the grass he had been so intently studying. "Sorry for what?" he asked, seemingly genuinely curious.

"Well... for my lack of tact I guess," she said awkwardly, fiddling with her meal. "I...I guess I kind of muffed it, didn't I?"

Martin's eyes softened for the first time, and the faintest flutters of a grin played around his mouth. "Actually, in my opinion, you did rather well," he said lightly. "I am following you now, aren't I?"

She smiled a little bit. "Thanks, I guess."

The air between the three grew decidedly less tense as the day wore on. After the stiff and uneasy silence had been broken, it was replaced by a slightly more comfortable one, Elizabeth still being far too shy to say anything to Martin at all until they stopped for the night, and even then she still felt tongue-tied and nervous about speaking at all.

The fire flickered and spread its orange warmth over the three, blanketing Elizabeth in comfort, her back resting against the bole of a slender tree.

"What's his name?"

Martin's voice startled her out of her doze abruptly. "What?"

"Your baby. What's his name?"

She felt a touch of red come to her cheeks. "He's not mine. He's my brother."

Martin looked apologetic. "I'm--"

"No, it's all right. His name is Brian, and right now he is the light of my life."

Martin turned his head to hide the smile on his face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like my writing quality has gone down again. :( Maybe it's just me. I hope its just me.  
> 


	17. The Priory

It got progressively chillier as the company of three got further north, and it got later and later into autumn. Elizabeth figured it must be somewhere around October, or whatever passed as October for these people. 

It was the last night before they reached the old Priory that she woke up with frost crystals in her hair.

"Good morning," Martin said quietly, a half smile curving his lips at the corners as he saw her silver gilded hair. 

Elizabeth looked over at the warm and snugly bundled boy in Martin's arms. Martin looked a little sheepish.

"I didn't want him to wake you up," he said. 

"I appreciate the sentiment," Elizabeth said tiredly.

Brian looked up at his sister through the blankets and laughed at her. He _liked_ this person.

Elizabeth shivered as she pulled the heavy woollen cloak tighter about herself and the precious bundle she carried. He was starting to sit up now, when they let him exercise himself near the fire. He laughed and babbled at his sister, and played with Martin as Elizabeth would make something warm to fill them up before they went back to sleep on the cold, hard ground. Elizabeth was slipping into a comfort around Martin and Brian that she hadn't felt for weeks.

She supposed she was rather going to miss seeing the future Emperor playing with babies, rare laughter crossing his face.

He has even laughed when Brian, wishing for some soup himself, stole Elizabeth's spoon and tried to sip from her bowl.

Elizabeth was glad he was at least becoming more cheerful.

It was midafternoon when they finally reached the Priory.

It stood straight and tall in the chilly afternoon sun, grey and stern seeming. They were still a distance away so they did not see Eronor the shepherd until he was nearly on top of them.

"Help!" he shrieked. "Help! HELP!"

"Wha-"

He caught ahold of the bridle of the horse. "Help!" he shrieked. "You must help! They're killing everyone!"

"Wh-"

He let go of the bridle and vanished.

S H I T

"Martin, you stay here," she snapped.

He shook his head mulishly.

"Martin-"

She took one look at him and gave up. 

"Don't get hurt."

"I could say the same for you," he said, drawing his dagger.

The fight, when it was joined, was short and vicious. 

Elizabeth was driven backward, until again, he made the mistake of trying to touch Brian.

She left him in a pool of his own blood, drowning in his own folly.

Bother Piner, his own sword already coated with blood finished off the second assassin between him and Martin.

"God's Blood," he exclaimed, wiping away the blood dripping from a painful slice over his eye. "They came out of nowhere! Where's Jauffre?"

Elizabeth shook her head dumbly. "I don't know. Uh.. Chapel?"

Without a word, Piner ran into the Chapel.

Swearing mentally, Elizabeth made to follow.


	18. Taken

The small Chapel was chaos.

Clangs of metal on metal, metal on wood, metal on stone sounded deafeningly in the small space. Brian added his confused and upset squalls to the melee, as Martin ducked under Elizabeth's arm to throw a blast of ice at the armoured and masked cultist. It froze his sword arm in place and gave Elizabeth an opening she took advantage of. And she did, driving her dagger home into the man's chest. With a terrible gurgle, he fell sideways, as a line of pain erupted along her arm. She whirled around and sank her dagger into the gut of the woman who had tried to sneak up on her.

Between Piner and Martin and Jauffre, the rest of the admittedly clumsy assassins were dispatched with almost callous ease on the part of Jauffre, leaving them in the gore splattered chapel.

"Jauffre!"

Brian was still squalling, ans the adrenaline was leaching out of Elizabeth's limbs, leaving her shaking in her shoes. "Jauffre, Martin. Martin, Jauffre," she said tiredly.

Jauffre looked relieved. "You're back. And it couldn't be at a better time."

Martin looked like he wanted to say something, but Jauffre cut across him, suddenly electrified. 

"The Amulet of Kings! I fear that must be the object of this attack," he exclaimed. 

An icy claw gripped Elizabeth's heart. She _could not_ have done all of this just to-

No.

She followed Jauffre out the Chapel, and into the Priory, ignoring the burning pain in her arm until she started feeling dizzy and heard Martin make a soft noise of surprise.

Martin caught her as her knees buckled before she hit the floor.

"Are you all right?"

She nodded. " 'M fine. 'M okay."

"Your arm isn't."

She looked down at her arm, and promptly looked away again. Blood was oozing out of a sizable gash on her arm, and staining her shirt.

"Be still," he ordered softly. "Let me heal you."

She didn't answer. Her mouth had gone dry at the sudden proximity of their bodies. 

He guided her gently to a bench and sat her down before he took her arm. Brian, by now quieted, looked fascinated by the sudden bloom of blue light between the priest's fingers.

"It'll hurt a little," he warned. 

It stang and burned a little, and she gasped with surprise and pain, but it was soon over, and all that remained of the gash was a rent in her clothing and a silvery scar.

When Jauffre came back down the stairs, he looked very grim indeed. Elizabeth's heart sank.

"They've taken it," he said. "The Amulet of Kings is gone, and the enemy has beaten us at every turn."

"Not quite every turn," she corrected, bracing herself against the table. She laid a quick, shy hand on Martin's shoulder. "We have Uriel's heir."

Jaufre's face softened slightly. "Thank the Divines it has not all gone against us. You did well."

He turned to Martin, suddenly formal. "My Lord," he said. "It is an honor to meet you."

Martin looked very uncomfortable, and glanced over to Elizabeth, as if pleading for help. "Ah...well, the-the honor goes both ways I suppose."

Elizabeth stepped up again. "Where can you go? It seems- it seems as if you would be no longer safe here."

"Quite right," Jauffre said ruefully. "I suppose that first thing tomorrow we must leave."

Elizabeth felt a little crestfallen. She couldn't honestly say that she had completely enjoyed the adventure so far, but to be simply tossed aside like that, with a few coins to show for her troubles was very humbling.

"Wait," Martin said. "Isn't Elizabeth coming with us?"

Jauffre looked at him sharply. "Of course she is."

"I am?" Elizabeth said, surprised.

"You have proven invaluable thus far," Jauffre said firmly. "In these dark days we need all the allies we can get."

Martin nodded. "It was you who shut the Oblivion gate at Kvatch," he agreed. "Not the guard."

A frown line appeared between the old man's eyebrows.

"What is this now?"

It took the better part of the morning to explain the entire story to Jauffre. Elizabeth told most of it, but there were some parts she didn't know, or didn't pay attention to, and then Martin would chip in and explain. All the while, Jauffre began to grow ever more concerned.

"This is worse than I had thought," he said finally. "We must get to Cloud Ruler Temple with all speed."

"Cloud Ruler Temple?"

Jauffre grinned tightly. "You'll see when we get there."

Jauffre chivied them onto the road by noon. Elizabeth looked rather regretfully back at the Priory, and thought longingly of being able to sleep in a warm, soft, bed again.

Brian kicked her chest as he struggled upright, wanting to gaze out at the road and passing trees and their brilliant leaves. He was happy to be on the road again.


	19. A Fright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a fluffy little filler chapter that popped into my head and demanded to be included!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I edited the last chapter because I accidentally posted it before I was finished. If you only read the original version, you need to go back before you read this one.

When Elizabeth opened her eyes, it took her a full second to figure out what was wrong.

Her arms were too light. They weren't weighed down by anything warm and heavy.

She was bolt upright in a second. Where was Brian?

In a single sweep she scanned the camp for any sign of the small rascal. Though Jauffre was slumbering peacefully beside the cold ashes of the fire, Brian was nowhere in sight.

Her breath came in short, hard bursts as she rolled out of her blankets and jumped to her feet. Wild scenarios, each more outlandish than the last chased each other through her head. _No. No. No. No, please, Divines or whatever you call yourselves. Not Brian. Please, please, please. Let him be okay. Please._

There was no sign of either Martin or Brian anywhere in the camp.

_Mybe those cultists came and took Martin and Brian. Maybe-_

_SHUT UP!_ she roared at herself mentally.

Her heart thudded painfully in her chest, and to her horror she began to whimper in fear as she found no sign of her brother.

_Please don't let anything have happened. Please please please._

She slipped and stumbled down a steep slope down toward the stream that ran near the camp. Maybe, maybe, maybe they-

Martin turned around in surprise as he heard her coming, and to her relief, Brian was on his hip giggling and waving at her.

"Oh my gods," she whispered, forcing down her impulse to break down and sob with relief. He was okay. They were both okay. 

"Are you all right?" Martin asked. "You're crying."

She took him completely by surprise when she ran at him and hugged him tightly. 

"You scared me," she whispered into the grey cloth covering his shoulders. "I was terrified I had lost you both."

Martin patted her awkwardly on the back as she cried tears of sweet relief into his shoulder.

Brian very solemnly gave his sister a very sloppy kiss on her hair to try to make her feel better. Martin, confused as he was, did his best to comfort the weeping young woman.

Eventually she pulled away, wiping her eyes. She offered a watery chuckle.

"I'm sorry," she said weakly. "I guess I overreacted when I found him missing."

Martin smiled gently. "No, it's alright. He was going to wake you up, and I supposed it would have been nice for you to get a bit more sleep."

Elizabeth took the child from Martin. "He likes you."

Martin looked a little awkward. "I guess my bright idea didn't really help at all, did it?"

"Not really, but I shouldn't have overreacted." She pulled the boy close and said: "I- I guess he's just the only one I have left, and I don't want to lose him."

Her voice broke a little bit, and Martin wisely did not enquire further.


	20. Cloud Ruler Temple

As the party of four, plus three horses got higher into the mountains, it got colder and colder. Elizabeth was glad for the woollen cloaks that Jauffre had included for the three of them. She tugged it over the overly energetic toddler as the chilly wind shifted direction and blew a few soft flakes of snow into her face.

Snow?

Brian looked up at the gray clouds and laughed at his sister's face. 

Bruma was solidly biult and stubbornly rising into the gray sky. Snow was beginning to accumulate in white clumps beside the sold logs of the city gates, and dusting the walls and the trees that studded the landscape.

Jauffre shielded his eyes from a sudden breeze that gusted snowflakes all over the place. "There's a path up the mountain," he informed them. "Follow me."

The snow was frosting Elizabeth's hair, which, she ruefully realized, she hadn't washed in weeks. For that matter, _she_ hadn't washed in weeks, and it was starting to irritate her. She hoped that there were baths of some kind in this Cloud Ruler Temple.

They stopped for bread and cured meats about halfway up the mountain. Brian was beginning to take notice of these strange substances his sister put in her mouth, and Elizabeth rather wished he wasn't. He tugged in her arm, demanding a piece.

"What happens when we reach to reach Cloud Ruler Temple?" Martin inquired softly. 

"We begin to plan how to take back the Amulet of Kings," Jauffre said with a note of finality.

Martin chewed the dried meat and swallowed. "That's an appealing prospect," he said dryly. "I meant you, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth looked up from Brian, momentarily distracted. "What? What'd'you say?"

Martin repeated his question.

Elizabeth looked down again, her face warming under his kindly grey eyes. "I-I don't know. I mean- I mean I would like to stay. B-but..."

She trailed off shyly, turning tomato red.

Martin patted her hand. "I would be honored, my friend."

She nearly choked on the mouthful of bread she had taken, without knowing why. Jauffre looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

It had all but stopped snowing as they slowly laboured up the mountain, their way painted golden in the glorious setting sun. Jauffre, riding at the head of the group, was the first to see the stronghold of the Blades.

"Look," was all he said.

Elizabeth did, and gasped.

It, like the pathway before them, was painted golden and bronze and a glorious crimson by the light cast by the sun setting in the clouds. The roofs of the towers were upsloped and seemed almost Asiatic. The impressively tall gates were carved with intriguing, liquid designs. A wall of uncompromising stone ran along the outside.

"Stand back," Jauffre warned as he slid off of his horse. "The doors open outward."

Elizabeth backed away cautiously, and just in time, as the colossal doors swung outward.

A Blade in full armour bowed to Jauffre. "Grandmaster Jauffre. And this...?"

Jauffre nodded. "Yes, Cyrus. This is the Emperor's heir, Martin Septim." 

The Blade bowed again, as deeply as he could in his armour. "Welcome, my Lord. We have not had the honour of an Emperor's visit in many years."

Martin looked vaguely uncomfortable. "Ah, well, thank you. The honour is mine."

The Blade-Cyrus-gestured vaguely. "And...?"

Martin stepped up. "Elizabeth is why I am standing here now," he said calmly. 

Jauffre nodded. "She has earned our trust, Cyrus. Let her in."

Cyrus looked a little bit surprised under his helmet. "Of course Grandmaster. I'm sorry, Ma'am," he said, addressing Elizabeth. "These are suspicious times."

Elizabeth flushed and nodded slightly.

Jauffre put a light hand on Martin's shoulder. "Come," he said gently. "Your Blades are waiting to greet you."


	21. A Speech And Afterward

The stone steps led up to what Elizabeth irreverently thought of as a 'porch' in front of the main building of Cloud Ruler Temple. A good hundred people lined the spaces to the side, leaving a broad path down the middle. Suddenly very shy, Elizabeth hung back.

Martin caught her arm. "None of that, he whispered. "You're my friend, and have more right than any of these people to stand by my side."

Elizabeth almost stuttered what might have been a very unflattering reply, but she stopped herself in time, and contented herself with feeling flustered at Martin's casual compliment.

"Blades!" Jauffre said, iron in his voice and manner. "Dark times are upon us! The Emperor and his sons were slain on our watch. The Empire is in chaos."

There was a murmur of argreement.

"And yet..." Jaffre said, drawing himself up to his full height, "we still have hope. Here is Martin Septim, true son of Uriel Septim, and heir the throne of the Empire."

"Hail the Dragonborn! Hail, Martin Septim!" the Blades cheered. "Hail to the Emperor's son!"

Flanked by Elizabeth and Jauffre, Martin looked even more nervous and uncomfortable than Elizabeth felt. However, his voice held calm and steady as he addressed the crowd of Blades.

"Jauffre. All off you. I know that you all expect me to be Emperor, and I'll do my best. But at heart, I am only a priest, and I'm not used to giving speeches. But... I want you all to know that I appreciate your welcome here. I can only hope that I prove myself worthy of your loyalty in the coming days. That's it. Thank you."

"Thank you, Martin," Jauffre said. "Come now. We all must get back to our duties, eh Captain?"

"Not much of a speech, was it?" Martin said quietly to Elizabeth as the crowd began to disassemble. "Didn't seem to bother them though."

He shook his head, a look of wonder on his face. "The Blades saluting me, and hailing me as Martin Septim... I mean," he looked uncomfortable again, "I don't mean to sound ungrateful. I know that I would be dead by know if it weren't for you. But everyone just expects me to know what to do, how to behave."

Elizabeth smiled slightly. "I know something of the same feeling, Martin. I- You'll do fine."

"Thank you, my friend," he said wearily. "They seem to want an Emperor, to tell them what to do, and I haven't the faintest idea."

"Well," Elizabeth said. "We need to recover the Amulet, first and foremost."

Martin's face brightened momentarily. "Of course. The Amulet of Kings. So we-I," he corrected himself almost immediately, looked peculiarly embarrassed at his slipup, "I can relight the Dragonfires and we can end this Crisis."

"And then you will be Emperor," Elizabeth said quietly.

"The Emperor..." he echoed, almost ruefully. "That's an idea that will take some getting some getting used to. But you should speak with Jauffre about that. I don't have any idea where you would even start."

More to do.

Her thoughts must have been plainly written on her face, because Martin stopped, and his piercing blue-gray eyes softened. "I mean, only if you want to stay," he said quickly. "I'm not going to order you to do anything. You've done enough already."

That more than anything that anybody else could have said or done made up Elizabeth's mind. 

After dinner in the Great Hall, Jauffre pulled Elizabeth aside, if the top of one of the watchtowers counted as aside, to speak with her. He had traded his shabby and tattered monk's robe for the full body armour worn by nearly every Blade. He still radiated steel stronger than his armour could ever hope to be.

"Yes, sir?" Elizabeth asked, worried she had done something wrong.

Jauffre turned back to her, the lines around his eyes and mouth seeming deeper. "Where is Brian?"

"He's with Martin," Elizabeth said quietly, leaning against the parapet. "Martin offered to give me a break."

There was silence for a moment in the frosty air of the Frostfall Night.

"You have proven yourself loyal and trustworthy," Jauffre finally said. "It seems to me that you would be more fitting than anyone else to serve at Martin's side during this crisis."

Elizabeth felt her cheeks grow warm at the praise. 

"As Grandmaster of the Blades, I would be honoured to accept you into our order," Jauffre said, a tone of ancient formality colouring his voice.

Something deep inside Elizabeth's soul seemed to click. Without even thinking she gave him her answer.

"Grandmaster Jauffre, the honour is mine," she said, matching his formality. "I accept your offer, and I pledge myself to the protection of the Empire, so long as I draw breath."


	22. Exploring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I did expand Cloud Ruler Temple. It always bugged me how tiny that place was. I mean honestly!
> 
> Also, I'm sorry for the quality. It was two in the morning and I needed to write. Have my very awkward brainchild! Enjoy the fluff.

Over the next couple of days, Elizabeth was allowed to explore Cloud Ruler Temple. Shehad not been approached by Jauffre with duties of any kind, so she took the brief respite while she could.

Martin, more often than not, was with her. So was Brian, of course, but that was usual. But she was glad that he seemed to enjoy her company. He laughed more freely, his eyes twinkling with merriment. Elizabeth firmly thought that he should laugh more.

There were a couple episodes that even Elizabeth had rather wished Martin had not been privy to. Several come to mind, but the one she remembered mst vividly was what Martin ever laughingly called the 'bathtub incident.'

Elizabeth had found the baths the day they reached Cloud Ruler Temple. She was tired of being dirty and having greasy hair, and just because she was in a world where most people smelled bad, didn't mean that she had to follow their example. 

It wouldn't hurt Brian either.

Her enthusiasm had been somewhat dampened when she realized that they were baths like the baths of Rome, where it was less a way to clean yourself in privacy, and much more about a chance to socialize, with the cleaning only an extra benefit.

Elizabeth was _not_ doing that.

So, early the next morning, before dawn had even begun to crown on the horizon, Elizabeth slippedinto the baths. Brian was still asleep on the bed of sturdy wood in the Blade barracks, but Elizabeth really wanted a bath, and overrode her anxiety about leaving him alone with difficulty.

_He'll be fine, for Mara's sake! It's not like Brian doesn't sleep heavily. He wont magically sense I'm gone and wake up. Right? Right._

She still felt a faint sense of guilt.

It was still early enough that nobody was awake to share the bathwaters with her, and as she carefully lowered herself into the steaming water, she realized exactly how much she had missed the feeling of hot water on her skin.

The pool was deep, and tiled with white. She didn't know how it was heated, but if she had to guess, she thought it might well be a hotspring. At the moment, however, she didn't really care.

The soaps were obviously not asnice as the ones at home, but she grateful for the few she had. Of course, there was no shampoo, but that was to be expected. 

She heartily thanked her mother for giving her the gift of hair that didn't get terribly oily.

She had borrowed a comb from Caroline, a female Blade about ten years older than she was, and combed out her hair until it was as smooth and shiny as an underwater plant. It floated beautifully in the water, inclouds and billows of the dark reddish color her hair turned when it was wet.

Elizabeth waded through, until she found the shallow area, slightly hidden from the door, where she let herself relax and let go of all of the tension and worry she hadn't realized she was carrying.

It was so good to feel hot water again.

She did not hear the latch of the door quietly click as it swung open to admit a new bather. Her eyes were closed as she ran the combthrough a newly formed patch of tangles. Nor did the new bather notice her, half obscured by steam.

Satisfied with her hair, Elizabeth opened her eyes.

Martin was at the other end of the pool, having clearly had the same idea that had occurred to Elizabeth. He looked weary and the lines around his mouth and eyes were more pronounced than ever.

Elizabeth clamped her jaws together. He hadn't seen her yet,had he? Maybe she could just slip out before he saw her, naked as a newborn baby, at the other end of the pool.

"Oh. Good morning, Elizabeth."

She froze. 

Martin looked very embarrassed, and kept his eyes religiously fixed on Elizabeth's face as he spoke. "I didn't know you would be down here. I... I apologize fore intruding."

"No, no, not your fault," Elizabeth stammered, going bright red. She could not meet Martin's eyes, and found herself emphatically studying his right eyebrow. "I-I was just finished. S-Sorry."

"No, it's fine," he said hurriedly, and then realized what he had said. "I mean, no need. I'll go. I don't want to interrupt."

"You weren't, really," she said awkwardly. "I-I think I need to go check on Brian."

Martin turned around. "Go ahead," he said, studying the tiles. "I promise not to look."

Elizabeth left as quickly as she could yank her clothes over her wet skin, still bright red. Martin, trueto his word, never turned until she was dressed in her flaxen tunic and black pants, and had left as quickly as may be.

Brian was still asleep, sound in his cradle.

Elizabeth felt like her face was on fire, and her stomach was swooping like a diving eagle. 

_Of all the people who could have walked in,_ she thought. _Why, O Divines, did it have to be Martin?_


	23. Leaving the Temple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have this quick chapter because I need to start writing this again. HELP, I'm losing focus!

It was cold, even in the stables. Elizabeth shivered under her heavy woollen cloak as she quietly saddled Jerall. 

Brian cooed softly, and reached out to pat the mare's gleaming coat. He liked Jerall.

"Aren't you even going to say goobye?"

Elizabeth started guiltily, and whirled around. "Wha-Oh. I was going to say my goodbyes later."

" 'Later' as in when you come back?"

Elizabeth winced. "No..."

"Where are you going? Jauffre 'forgot' to tell me."

"To find Baurus. Jauffre said that he was picking up leads on the assassins who killed the Emperor."

There was a wry twist in Martin's mouth that boded ill for somebody. "Are you going to be alright?"

"If I had my food, then maybe."

Martin grinned briefly. "I brought your food supplies with me."

Elizabeth accepted the bundle and stowed it away in her saddlebags. She smiled briefly in return.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Martin put his hand on her shoulder. "Be careful, Elizabeth. Take care of yourself, and Brian. These people are dangerous."

Elizabeth nodded heavily. "I know Martin. I'll be alright.

Martin pulled her into a brief hug. "Good luck," he said quietly.

"Goodbye, Martin."

The air did not warm as the sun rose, and Elizabeth's breath made tiny clouds in the air. Brian, snuggled under a wrap and a heavy cloak, as well as being cuddled close to Elizabeth's chest, was snug and warm.

"Remind me why I hate being cold," she muttered when they stopped for lunch. Brian said nothing, but he solemnly stole some of her cheese.

It got warmer, slowly, as they traveled back down from the mountains. Within a week, it felt much more tolerable, to Elizabeth's way of thinking. The trees were still clothed in gold and crimson, not yet having dropped their garments. Jerall was pleased that there was more grass. Brian, who was just beginning to crawl everywhere with the speed of a cat, was giving Elizabeth heart attacks.

With a pang, her thoughts flashed to her family, left behind in a place she could not reach back to. It hurt, and the suppressed cut at her heart like a shard of glass. Suddenly tears started to her eyes and she had to quell another sob. Unbidden, her family rose up into her mind from the small and secret corner of her mind she had tucked them so she could continue to function, unincapacitated by her incapacitating grief and fear. The stew pot in front of her blurred again.

She cried herself to sleep that night.


	24. The Imperial City

The Imperial City was painted a dusky golden in the fading autumn light. The tall, proud pinnacle towered over the circular city, Looking more the part of 'Gold' and less of the 'white.' Brian, wide awake, but beginning to be fretful and sleepy. Elizabeth dug the grimy instructions to Luther Broad's Boardinghouse out of her pocket and studied the faded ink. Somehow, she felt it would of more help if she new about half the places the Jauffre was referring to.

Jerall, whinnied softly in something that was almost a goodby gesture as she was led into the Chestnut Handy Stables by an Orc in a foodstained tunic. Elizabeth studied the parchment again.

" 'Elven Gardens,' " she muttered. "Joy."

A guard managed to set Elizabeth in the right direction, but as Elizabeth wandered through the dusky streets, she realized she was lost again. She had definitely taken a wrong turn somewhere, but she couldn't figure out where.

"Divines guide me," she muttered, keeping a wary eye on the people on who were beginning to emerge onto the street. They exuded an aura of shadiness, and she most definitely wanted to get indoors.

She passed a Dunmer and a Redguard conversing in low tones without a second glance, but the Redguard most certainly looked twice. "Elizabeth?" he said, surprised.

Elizabeth whipped around, and ended up staring straight into a familiar face. "Baurus?" 

"The very same," he said. "What in Nirn's name are you doing here?"

"I-I was sent here," she said. "Jauffre-"

"Hush!" the Dunmer said quickly. She looked around, and said; "Not here. Come with me."

"And you are...?" Elizabeth said warily.

The ash-skinned woman smiled sourly. "Alzathiri Perendas. I'm surprised you haven't heard of me."

Alzathiri led them to a fairly cozy, if mildly shabby, home that was just a little bit down the street. Alzathiri hurriedly dumped a stack of papers from the chairs back onto the table, and shooed them to their places.

"First things first," she said. "Who are you, and why do you know Jauffre?"

Baurus looked a little guilty.

Elizabeth took a deep breath. 

"This might take a while," she said. "And I'm starving. So is my brother. Can we have some food?"

"Food first," Baurus said quickly. "I know this part, Alzathiri, so I'll go."

Elizabeth began her slightly abbreviated narrative, Alzathiri's eyes drilling into her like crimson interrogators. 

Elizabeth lost track of the time as she sat there on the floor, a sleeping Brian on her lap. But when she was finally finished, Alzathiri seemed satisfied.

"That's quite a tale youngster," she said. "But it explains more than it doesn't."

Elizabeth gently extracted herself from Brian, who had fallen fast asleep, and laid him down on the wrap that lay on the floor beside her. "Your turn," she said, drawing her knees up to her chest. "What have you discovered?"

Baurus traded a quick look with Alzathiri. 

"I think we need to wait for Caius to get back for that," she said quickly. "And we all need sleep."

Disappointed, Elizabeth nodded. "In the morning then."

"Afraid so, youngster," Alzathiri said. 

Baurus patted her on the shoulder. "It's good to see you again, Elizabeth," he said earnestly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing my Nerevarine, Alzathiri Perendas! :)


	25. New Information

Elizabeth woke up with a sore back and eyes that felt heavier now than when she fell asleep. She sat up, the rough blanket falling off of her, and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

Brian stirred sleepily and then decided against waking up and snuggled back into the blanket. Elizabeth kissed him lightly on the forehead, smiling at the tiny figure. Baurus was curled on the other side of Brian, half uncovered by his own blanket.

He stirred a little bit when Elizabeth stepped over him to go look for the privy and then fell straight back to sleep.

Alzathiri was rummaging in the cupboards when Elizabeth emerged from the small room. She barely even looked up.

"Caius will be down in a few minutes," she said. "You get to wake up Baurus. I'll find us breakfast."

"Caius?"

"A disreputable old skooma addict," she said fondly. "He's also a highly respected Blade."

It took a bit of effort to wake Baurus, but when Elizabeth finally managed to bring the burly Redguard back into the land of living, Brian was bouncing and laughing on the stone floor, and Alzathiri had managed a loaf of bread and some eggs were being supervised as the over they fried in drippings over the hearth. 

"Alzathiri, who are all these people, and why are they in my house?"

Elizabeth, made overly wary by long nights spent in the middle of nowhere, whipped around so fast she cricked her neck. But thankfully, it was only a short, balding man, wearing rough, stained linen. What was left of his hair was white and wiry, and his eyes were like Jauffre's: sharp and clever.

"These are Blade agents, Caius," the Dunmer said without turning around. "Sit down and eat a normal breakfast, and you can explain to Elizabeth here, exactly what we are doing."

"A normal breakfast," Caius muttered sourly, sitting at the table. 

"That's right," Alzathiri said firmly, setting down the plate for him. She kissed his bald head affectionately. "Now give Elizabeth the reports."

Caius eyed the girl speculatively. "So old Stick-Up-His-Behind sent you, did he?"

Elizabeth blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"Jauffre."

"Oh. Well, yes."

The old man grunted and looked back to his plate. "You don't look like much to me. But then, neither did Alzathiri and look where she is now." He leaned forward. "Alright. Between the three of us, we've gathered a fair amount of information. We know that these assassins are part of a Daedric doomsday cult that worship Mehrunes Dagon. Baurus was tracking some of their agents in the Imperial City." He gave the Redguard an unsmiling nod of approval. "It was working fairly well until one of them tried to knife him in the basement of Luther Broad's."

"That's when I moved here," Baurus cut in. Caius glared at him.

"Anyway, he found this book."

Alzathiri handed it to him from his crammed bookshelf that looked like it was in imminent danger of falling over, and he slid it across the table to her It didn't look very special, just a slim book with a faded cloth cover. Elizabeth looked it over curiously.

"We haven't been able to make either heads or tails of it," Caius said ruefully. "It seems than nothing more than the rantings of a madman, but I have a feeling there's much more to it than that."

Elizabeth idly paged through the slim volume. "It's a little strange, isn't it?" she said briefly.

"Don't tell me. All we've figured out thus far is that this is just one volume of the damned thing," Caius said grumpily. "Alzathiri thinks that it's the key to finding the Mythic Dawn."

"And we're following up on the possibility since we don't have any other leads," Baurus broke in again.

"I was going to go see a friend of Baurus' today," Alzathiri said brightly. "Maybe she knows something."


	26. The Streets of the Imperial City

"Where are we going?" Elizabeth asked, watching Alzathiri lace up her netch leather boots.

"To the Arcane University. Baurus has a friend there who runs the library."

"The Arcane-?"

"Good gods, girl! You weren't wrong when you said you were a country bumpkin," Alzathiri said impatiently. "Read some books and stop asking me questions!"

Elizabeth coloured and looked at the floor. Baurus patted her on the shoulder.

"She's a nice person when she wants to be," he explained. "You just have to get to know her better."

"Who said that?" she inquired pointedly, her lip twitching into a tiny smile.

"See?"

Alzathiri cast a slightly critical eye over Elizabeth. "Do you have any other clothing?"

"No," she said, a little sulkily. "The rest of it is dirty."

"Don't pout, girl. I'm not trying to be cruel. We'll just have to stop by Divine Elegance later, that's all."

Elizabeth opened her mouth with surprise, thought better of it, and shut it again.

The streets of the Imperial City were bustling with people. People chattering and laughing and arguing. Elizabeth, who had always been more withdrawn, started feeling a little bit enochlophobic. Brian, sitting upright in Elizabeth's arms, looked around him, solemn and wide-eyed.

"Tell me we're almost there," Elizabeth muttered.

Alzathiri laughed. "Not nearly, youngster."

As a matter of fact, the Arcane University was on a second, smaller island, outside the city itself. Like a second, smaller, version of the city itself, it had a tower in the centre and was shaped in a circle around the tip of the island.

"The idea was to get the mages as far away from the city itself without actually throwing them out," Alzathiri said wrily as they crossed the bridge.

The main part of the University was closed off by a tall iron fence that looked spiky and was probably enchanted so that if you tried to climb over it you would end up fried like a potato. Elizabeth was definitely _not_ tempted to touch it.

The foot of the tower seemed to be a sort of a lobby. Hard wooden benches were provided. Elizabeth took one look and decided not to sit.

"Stay here," Alzathiri said. "Only College members are allowed past this point."

"You're a College member?" she blurted.

The look Alzathiri gave her was thoughtful. "I think we should stop by the First Edition too."

Then she turned and left the lobby. 

It was quiet in the lobby. The strange golden pad with a stylized eye in the corner of the room hummed gently.

The air was cool, but not cold, in that strange, windowless room. The light was diffused and dim, but it was stronger than any candlelight. It certainly couldn't all come from the lantern hanging on the ceiling.

The left-hand door opened, and Alzathiri came back inside, followed by a dark-scaled Argonian in a blue robe.

"Tar-Meena, this is Elizabeth. Elizabeth, this is the librarian, Tar-Meena."

"Pleased to meet you," Elizabeth said nervously.

"Likewise! Now, Alzathiri tells me that you require the services of a librarian with access to the Arcane University," she said, in a brisk but not rude manner.

Elizabeth nodded, a little bit awkwardly, and felt her shyness resurging. "Yes ma'am. If you can spare the time."

"Of course!" she said, her yellow eyes glimmering. "What exactly are you looking for?"

"Do you have any copies of the 'Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes?' " she asked tentatively. "We're..."

"We're looking for the rest of the volumes," Alzathiri broke in, rescuing Elizabeth. "We already have volume one."

Tar-Meena nodded, a speculative glint in her eyes. "Do you have a scholarly interest in the Daedric Cults, or are you-"

"We need to find them."

The Argonian didn't look at all surprised. "Find them, eh? I won't poke my nose any further. Official business and all that. I'm used to working with the Blades, don't worry. The library here has a copy of volume two that you can borrow. Treat it gently, if you please!"

"Are there others?" Elizabeth asked.

"There are four volumes. One and Two are rare, but you may run across them from time to time. Volumes Three and Four are nearly impossible."

She cocked her head at Elizabeth, as if she could read her disappointment. "Between you and me," she said quietly, "I'd check at the First Edition. It's a book store in the Market District. He's snippy and rude as all get-out, but he knows where to find books. And perhaps..." she trailed off, and a decidedly wicked look came into her eye. "We've been rivals for a long time. If he does have it, would you perhaps consider selling it me when you are done with it?"

Alzathiri grinned roguishly. "I'll see what I can do."

Tar-Meena gave them the small, slim volume two before they left, with a promise to try to find her the third 'Commentaries.'

It was noon by the time they reached the Market District again. Brian was beginning to feel a little bit restive, and Elizabeth's arms were starting to hurt. 

"Do you want me to hold him?" Alzathiri asked gently. "it _has_ been a while since you gave your arms a rest."

Elizabeth blinked. "Uhh... If you want to?"

"You have got to learn how to answer people's questions," Alzathiri remarked, taking Brian from Elizabeth's arms. "I wouldn't offer if I didn't mean it."

Elizabeth coloured and looked down at the road. 

"First Edition is right up ahead," Alzathiri said, completely ignoring the stares of the passerby at a Dunmer holding a human baby. "We'll stop there, and then go find something to eat. Then we'll head on to Divine Elegance." 

First Edition was a respectable place, with many well lit windows. Elizabeth supposed it was a benefit of being the corner shop. Inside, it smelled like leather and ink, and that strange smell that always came with old books. A tall Redguard stood behind the counter, his black hair only just beginning to show gray. 

"Welcome to the First Edition," he greeted them. "What are you looking for? If I don't have it, maybe I can get it. I'm Phintias, owner and proprietor."

"We're looking for the third volume of 'Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes,' " Alzathiri said without preamble.

"Mankar Camoran's Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes," he corrected, like there was a chance of them meaning something else. 

Alzathiri rolled her eyes. "We brought gold."

"I have a copy in stock, as a matter of fact," he said. "Unfortunately, it's already been paid for. Gwinas would be terribly disappointed if it had been sold already when he got here," his eyes turned a little thoughtful. "As a matter of fact, he's already a little bit late to pick up his book. If you really want to, you can sit here and wait for him."

Alzathiri's mouth twitched downward in displeasure, but she ushered Elizabeth toward the chairs in the corner of the room. 

It was very quiet, quieter than a library. The few people who did walk in spoke in hushed tones to Phintias, and then left quickly with their books. Elizabeth realized she could hear herself breathing, and tried to quiet herself. Alzathiri hummed softly to soothe the hungry Brian.

Eventually, the door opened again, and a Wood Elf in red silk robes walked through the door. 

"I'm here for my book," he said,, without preamble, but definitely with arrogance. "Mankar Camoran's Commentaries, Volume Three."

"Of course," Phintias said, and he handed another small volume to the pale elf. "Keep us in mind for any future needs."

"Thank you. Thank you! I can't tell you how long I've been looking for this book," he said, his tongue tripping over the words in his excitement, and he half walked, half capered to the door.

Elizabeth glanced at Alzathiri and realized that both she and Brian had fallen asleep. Not knowing what else to do, she ran full tilt after Gwinas.

For such a small person, Gwinas moved surprisingly quickly. But she finally caught up with him just outside the door to what was apparently 'Edgar's Discount Spells.' Her hand closed around his crimson sleeve, and she pulled him up short.

"I beg your pardon?" he said, his lip curling as he turned to face her.

Elizabeth's mind blanked for a moment, and for the merest fraction of a second she let herself gape like an idiot. She couldn't believe that it had actually worked.

"I-I want to buy that book from you," she stammered, which was ridiculous, because she had no money.

He stepped away from her like she was a diseased beggar. "Have you been following me? Leave me alone! This book is mine!"

"Just give me the book and I'll leave," Elizabeth said stubbornly. She was beginning to realize just how much of a bad idea this might have been.

"Are you...threatening me? Leave me alone! I'll call the guards!"

Elizabeth felt a wave of anger wash over her. "No, actually. I don't think you will," she said icily. 

"What do you mean?" he blustered. "I'm an upstanding citizen. I have nothing to hide."

"If that's the case, you are in way over your head," Elizabeth hissed. Her hand closed around her dagger hilt concealed in the bodice of the dress she wore.

"Excuse me?" he said disdainfully. "You _presume_ to tell me about Daedric cults? I'll have you know I have visited the Shrine of Sheogorath during the Festival of the Mad! I've spoken to Hermaeus Mora beneath the full moons! I've-"

His words were cut off as Elizabeth, infuriated by his attitude, his stubborness, and just about everything, pinned him to the smooth white wall behind him by his long blonde hair. The short temper that she had always been chastised for roared through her veins, fueled by all of the pent-up and held-back emotions she had surpressed for the months she had been in this strange world.

"THEY MURDERED THE EMPEROR, YOU THRICE-DAMNED FOOL!" she roared.

Gwinas blanched, though from her tone, or her words, or a combination of the two, Elizabeth didn't care. She ignored the startled and staring passerby.

"You have to believe me, I truly had no idea!" he gabbled. "Mankar Camoran's views on Mehrunes Dagon are fascinating! Revolutionary, even! But to murder the Emperor-" his voice trailed into a tiny whimper. "Mara preserve us..."

Elizabeth let him down. "You need to give me that book."

"Yes. Yes, of course," he said, almost visibly scrabbling for the shards of his dignity and pride. "I-I don't anyone to think I had anythig to do with their insane plots. Take it. Volume three is yours. What you do with it is your business." He all but shoved the book into her hands.

"I need Volume Four as well," Elizabeth said, her temper abruptly cooling. 

"You can only get Volume Four directly from a member of the Mythic Dawn itself," Gwinas said quickly. "Here. Take this note he gave me. It shows you where to go. I don't want anything else to do with their insane plots." He looked nervously around. "C-can I go now."

"Go," Elizabeth said. "I apologize for the inconvenience."

As Gwinas scurried away, Alzathiri spotted her young friend and hurried toward her, Brian's lusty cries echoing through the streets.


	27. A Council of Spies

Alzathiri was properly horrified when Elizabeth told her what had happened, but not for the reasons Elizabeth expected.

"He could have incinerated you!" she exclaimed. "Or poisoned you!"

"I know," Elizabeth said shamefully. "I didn't think."

Alzathiri put her free hand on the girl's shoulder. "Next time, you do need to think. Believe it or not, I was once in a situation very like the one you are in right now, and the only reason I am still alive today is because I had to start thinking."

She shifted Brian to her other hip, which necessitated removing her hand. "It took some time, but I managed eventually. If nothing else, you need to remember that you're a Blade now. And if you're a Blade, you stand with your shieldsisters. That means me. So next time, please just wake me up."

Elizabeth muffled her guilty laughter. "So I guess that Divine Elegance is off then?"

"We'll go tomorrow," Alzathiri said. "That's a promise."

Baurus was reading something on the floor, his back propped against the stairway.

"What news?" he said by way of greeting. 

"We found the third book," Alzathiri said casually, setting Brian down beside him. "Could you change him? He's starting to leak."

"I'll do it," Elizabeth said quickly, and carefully scooped the baby up.

Caius was at the table, eating something, Elizabeth couldn't tell what. Alzathiri passed him the two volumes of the Commentaries, and sat down beside him. The old man smiled broadly.

"Good work, you two," he said jovially. "And a note to find the fourth one! This is a fair prize, Alzathiri."

"Elizabeth did the work," Alzathiri said. "I only got the second one, and that was from Tar-Meena. Elizabeth was the one who wrangled the other book and the note."

For a moment Caius looked a bit surprised, but then he laughed. "Well done indeed then! I may have had my doubts about you, but I think they may have been vanquished, young lady," he said proudly. 

Elizabeth coloured at this unexpected praise, and looked at the floor.

Caius studied the note carefully.

"It looks like the meeting is set for tonight," he said softly, almost to himself. "We need to move soon."

"We're going," Baurus said instantly. 

"Of course _somebody's_ going," Caius said. 

"No, I mean that WE are going," Baurus replied, jumping to his feet. "Me and Alzathiri and Elizabeth."

Caius looked at him doubtfully, but Alzathiri was nodding. 

"Elizabeth and Brian could meet the Sponsor," she said. "Baurus and I will stand behind for backup in case things go sour."

"What does Elizabeth think?" Baurus chimed.

Everyone looked at her, and she, in her surprise, could only stare back at them.

"Oh, come stand at this table, girl," Caius said gruffly. "If you haven't earned the right to be part of this, no-one has. Leave the boy. He can't get into too much mischief."

Elizabeth scrambled to her feet and stood by Alzathiri.

"Now, you realize that this will be dangerous for both you and the boy?" the old man said.

Elizabeth brushed a curl of her nut-brown hair out of her face. "Yes sir, I do. But I think it won't be as dangerous as if Alzathiri or Baurus meet the Sponsor. Or even you."

"How so?" he inquired, frowning slightly.

"You're all known quantities," she explained. "You are all known by now to be Blades. I just came on the scene."

"And if she does take Brian with her, I suppose it could be seen as a pledge of loyalty and trust in the Mythic Dawn from her side," Alzathiri said thoughtfully.

"Or the boy could stay here," Caius said. "I've dealt with babies before. It would be much safer."

"When would we leave?" Baurus asked. "And where are we going?"

"The Elven Gardens Sewers."

Elizabeth gagged at the thought, but decided it would be cowardly to back out now.

"I'm in," she said. 

They started out at at dusk, after they had eaten, and Brian had fallen asleep. Elizabeth wore a once-white blouse that was now stained and travel-worn, and the pants she had gotten muddy falling off of Jerall's back when the horse threw a shoe outside the Imperial City. Not ones she was likely to mourn.

Alzathiri was dressed much the same as Elizabeth, only with a coil of rope around her shoulder and a sword buckled around her waist. Her feet were in leather sandals that laced all the way up to her knee. 

"I hope those are clothes you are willing to get rid of," she said. 

Elizabeth shrugged wordlessly, the mere thought of where they were going making her gorge rise. 

Alzathiri looked her over carefully. "Do you have a weapon?"

Elizabeth showed her the steel dagger tucked into her belt. "I always carry a weapon now," she said wryly. "I'm afraid it's not a very good one."

Alzathiri took it from her, and examined the dull blade. 

"I have a better one," she said, pulling her own sheathed dagger out of her belt and showed it to Elizabeth. It was black and strangely shimmery and the edge was as fine as razor.

"Be careful with that," she warned. "It's sharp enough to cut a thread draped across it's edge."

Elizabeth snatched her hand back.

"Don't be ridiculous," Alzathiri said firmly. "You'll be right there, in the middle of the action. If things go wrong you'll need this."

Elizabeth took the dagger gingerly and buckled it onto her belt.

"Ready yet?" Baurus asked impatiently.

The smell emanating from the small hole that led into the ground was incredible. Elizabeth covered her nose as she peered into the inky blackness.

"There's a ladder down, but it's missing rungs for the last three feet," Baurus advised. "Be careful."

Alzathiri wrinkled her nose at the rich bouquet of odors that drifted through the dark hole, and swung a leg down into the sewer.

"You know," she called up as her head disappeared into the ground, "Vivec has _much_ nicer sewers."

"Just hurry up," Baurus called back.

There were a few more seconds of silence, and then the Dunmer's voice floated up again. "Alright, next?"

Baurus made little shooing motions, and Elizabeth steeled herself to step into that foul blackness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, you know that smell in the pit toilets that kind of reminds you in the grossest way possible way of honey? That's just one part of that infinitely disgusting bouquet they are breathing in.


	28. The Sewers

Elizabeth tried hard not to think about the slime on the rungs of the ladder, or the smell that was filtering in through her nose. She knew if she did either she was going to violently reject everything that had ever been in her stomach, or ever would be.

"You're almost there," Alzathiri said reassuringly.

"Joy," Elizabeth muttered, suppressing another wave of nausea.

"Jump from here," Alzathiri said. "If you go any further, you'll just fall."

Elizabeth jumped and landed awkwardly beside Alzathiri, trying her best to breathe as lightly as she could.

"Your turn Baurus," she called.

"I'm coming!" he called, sounding entirely too cheerful for the circumstances.

Elizabeth peered into the enveloping darkness around them. "I can't see anything."

"Do you want to?" Alzathiri joked.

"I'd prefer not to step in anything avoidable," Elizabeth said seriously.

Alzathiri snorted. "Alright, give me a second."

A strange hue of green light bloomed under Alzathiri's fingers, casting strange shadows in the long passageway, illuminating things that Elizabeth would have definitely have preferred not to see.

"That's disgusting," she muttered, averting her eyes.

Baurus dropped down the last three rungs and landed next to Elizabeth.

"I know where to go," he said confidently. "Follow me."

"Hold it, you," Alzathiri said. "I have the light."

"Then we'll all walk together," Elizabeth cut in. "At least over here, the walk is wide enough."

"You're a peacemaker," Baurus remarked as they started walking.

Elizabeth spotted an unfortunate piece of refuse and gagged again, momentarily unable to speak.

"You could breathe through your mouth," Baurus suggested. 

"No thanks," she retorted. "Then I'll just taste the stuff."

Alzathiri looked more than mildly disgusted. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Or not talk?" Elizabeth managed.

There was a place where the walkway stopped, crumbling into the water. Baurus stopped, and grinned in a somewhat defeated way.

"I guess it was too much to hope for that this would have been repaired by now," he said ruefully.

"Oh, no," Elizabeth whimpered, looking at the slow moving river of refuse. Now that she was looking, that she was _really_ looking, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the long river of what was no longer purely, or even mostly, water. 

Alzathiri grimly surveyed the situation.

"How deep is it?" she asked.

"Usually no more than waist deep," Baurus answered, kneeling down at the edge of the walkway. "Looks like it's about that now."

Elizabeth squeaked. The thought of actually _entering_ that muck and yuck was a little overwhelming to a girl who had been afraid of pit toilets when she was young. Alzathiri looked pityingly at her. 

"I remember feeling much the same the first time I had to do this," she said. "Just hold your breath as long as you can and don't think about it."

Without further ado she slid into the murky water.

"Come on," she said.

Elizabeth screwed up every ounce of courage she possessed, and followed her friend, breathing as shallowly as she possibly could.

 _If only Martin could see me now_ , she thought. 

She felt a clump of something hit her leg, and she swallowed bile.

"How long does this go for?" she asked, her voice quavering. 

"A while."

 _I don't think I can handle_ a while _of this._

"You'll survive," Alzathiri said bracingly.

Another strange, sticky clump drifted past, bumping Elizabeth's thigh as it went. 

"Duck your head," Baurus warned. "Tunnel ahead."

The tunnel made things infinitely worse. Slime and goo that Elizabeth didn't want to think about dripped from the ceiling and got everywhere. On her arms, in her hair, on her clothes...

A drowned rat twice the size of Brian drifted past, the green light emanating from between Alzathiri's fingers making the rotting carcass leer in a truly horrible way.

As bad as being in the water had been, getting out was even worse. The soaking, stinking trousers clung to Elizabeth's body as she levered herself out of the water and onto the ledge that ran alongside the canal of sewage. Despite the slight warmth in the air she shivered. 

There was a door on the ledge, made of iron and a wood that refused to rot, despite its surroundings. Elizabeth guessed that this was their destination.

"The room with the table is just through this door," Baurus muttered softly. "I always did wonder who put it there."

"You know what you need to do, right?" Alzathiri murmured.

Elizabeth's throat was very dry. "Yes."

"Good," the Dunmer said. "You'll do fine. We'll be watching if anything goes wrong."

"I'm glad to have you at my back," Elizabeth said solemnly. "Both of you."

There was a single torch burning in its sconce in the small, muggy room, that did nothing for the air quality. Elizabeth, feeling very nervous, seated herself at the table and waited.

The sound of rusty gate hinges nearly made her jump right back out of her seat, but she forced herself to sit still, and wait for the man in the crimson robe to face her.

His face was thrown into deep shadow by the poor lighting, but his eyes glittered evilly at her.

"So you wish to become one of the chosen of Mehrunes Dagon," he said softly. "The Path of Dawn is difficult, but the rewards are greater than you can imagine. Do you wish the fourth book, this final key to the fruit of your labours?"

Elizabeth felt like her voice had dried up. She managed a stiff, scared nod.

"I have the final key you seek," he said. "Take it. With wit and wisdom, you may unlock the way to the secret shrine of our Lord. Now go."

He placed the volume on the table, turned, and walked away. Elizabeth didn't dare to move until she was sure he was gone. Then she bolted out of the room, the precious volume clasped to her chest.

Caius was reading by lantern light when they got back, a tired, sodden, stinking, but triumphant trio. He grinned widely when Elizabeth handed him the book.

"Well done, indeed!" he crowed triumphantly, slapping her on the back. "Now go change before you go to bed."

"What about you?"

He grinned viciously. "I'm going to read these books."


	29. Solving the Riddle

Elizabeth's head ached with every incomprehensible word she read. The flowing, perfect script of calligraphy infuriated her as she tried to twist the words into a form that actually made something resembling sense. 

Her mind wandered against her will, drawing her back through her mind's nooks and crannies, just like it used to do when she would try to study for long periods of time.

 _I wonder what Martin's doing,_ she thought idly, toying with the parchment page. _It's probably getting pretty cold up there by now._

"Elizabeth?"

The young woman jumped, startled out of her reverie. Alzathiri was holding the second volume of the Commentaries, and standing over her. "Mind if I join you?" she asked.

Elizabeth obligingly moved over and allowed the Dunmer to sit beside her.

"Any ideas?" she said wearily.

"None at all," Alzathiri said regretfully, glaring at the battered books. "You?"

"Nope."

"Great."

Elizabeth gazed dully at the page she had been trying to read for the past half-hour. The words slid through her head like oiled snakes. 

"I tried writing down the first word in every sentence," she said, thinking aloud. "I also tried to write the first letter of each word." 

Alzathiri rested her head on her knees. "Caius is playing with the same idea. I've never had any head for this sort of thing. Damn riddles..."

Elizabeth chuckled softly, and decided to just skip this passage entirely and start on the next one. 

"Whoever copied these did a lot of work on the illumination," she said idly, tracing the elaborate crimson capitals with a finger. Creatures tied themselves in complicated knots to stretch themselves into the contortions of the letter. They were all grinning manically, forked tongues hissing through their bared teeth. They were both fascinating and terrifying.

"I noticed," Alzathiri said sourly. 

"Maybe we're supposed to take notice of them," Elizabeth said quietly. "Maybe the illustrations are a hint somehow."

Alzathiri studied the monsters for a moment, then shook her head. "The only place those creatures exist are the realms of Oblivion. Occasionally in Vvardenfell you can find them in the wild, but it's only because they found an unstable portal." She looked at them again. "Unless where we're looking for is either in Oblivion itself, or maybe Morrowind... No. I think we should keep studying the text itself."

Elizabeth glared at the elegantly terrifying letters. _Couldn't have made my life_ easy _for once_.

Caius exploded out of the privy room, his pants undone, and volume three in hand. "Girls, give me those books!" he exclaimed. "I need to see them."

Without waiting for their answer, he grabbed the books and bolted over to the table, his white hair standing out like a halo that had slipped down a little too much.

"Caius what-" 

"Come here and see!"

The old man seized the pen, and began scribbling at a frenzied pace. 

" _Green Emperor Way were Tower touches midday sun?_ " Elizabeth read.

"Yes!" Caius crowed. "Yes, exactly! It's still a riddle, but it's a riddle we may have hope to solve now."

"Green Emperor Way, the graves outside the Imperial Palace. Are we looking for a grave?" Baurus asked.

"I don't know yet!" Caius said irritably. "You'll just have to search Green Emperor Way."

"What, today?"

"Of course not! It's already past noon," Caius said irritably. "Tomorrow."

Caius remained behind at the house, to continue to study the books, trying to squeeze every last piece of information out of the parchment.

It felt chilly that day, as if autumn was finally starting to catch up to the Imperial City. A brisk breeze blew through the grass growing between stones in the graveyard. Elizabeth shivered in the wind, and pulled her new linen shawl closer to her. Brian squalled, wanting to get down.

"So what exactly are we looking for?" Elizabeth asked, trying to soothe him. 

Baurus didn't look very happy. "I don't know! Something that's supposed to scream _We are here?_ "

"Perk up," Alzathiri said bracingly. "I've been set riddles like this before and I managed them."

"Like what?" Elizabeth asked, curious.

"Like finding the Cave of the Incarnate. I got the vaguest, most poetical description ever and was told to find it."

Elizabeth muffled a laugh. "At least we get a fairly contained place to look."

A crimson leaf skittered across a marble tomb.

"Split up?" Baurus said, shoving his hands into his pockets, as he looked around. 

Alzathiri looked at both of them critically. "No, not this time. The last time I left Elizabeth alone she nearly strangled someone in full view of most of the Imperial City."

"What?" Baurus asked, horrified.

" _NO_." Elizabeth said firmly.

There were a few people in the graveyard, mostly paying their respects to relatives who were important enough to be buried in the Imperial graveyard. Needless to say, there were precious few, a fact which Elizabeth was thankful for.

Alzathiri squinted at the sky. "It's nearly noon now. I'm not sure how much time we'll have to search, so be fast, but be thorough."

"Yes, ma'am," Baurus said quickly.

The cemetery was quiet, save for the skittering of leaves across the hard, white marble. Elizabeth was loathe to break the almost holy silence of the dead, and was silent. Even Alzathiri was quiet. 

One tomb was a tall, almost temple like building of cold stone that refused to warm, even under the sun and the light pressure of Elizabeth's hand. The cold leached into her palm, leaving her hand numb, and she yanked her hand away. 

"What is this?" she asked warily, rubbing her palm to get feeling back into it.

"The tomb of Prince Camarril," Baurus answered.

Alzathiri looked at it with mixed interest and disgust. "I've heard of him," she said. "He's relatively famous if you know who to ask."

"Who was he?" 

"He was a Reman worshipper of Mehrunes Dagon."

"I bet it's here, then," Elizabeth said quietly.

"Here, yes," Alzathiri agreed. "But where?"

The wind had died down, and suddenly all was deathly still and oppressively hot. Elizabeth realized that sweat was beading on her face, and yet the tomb was still icy cold. Alzathiri, shading her eyes with one hand, glanced up at the sky.

"It's nearly noon," she muttered. "We don't have much time."

As she spoke, a change began to come over the face of the Prince's tomb. Crimson lines bloomed across the blank stone, etching themselves into a shape that Elizabeth recognized from the worn, dog-eared map she always carried. 

It was a map of Cyrodiil, with the symbol of a crimson sun blooming just over the city of Cheydinhal.

Elizabeth fumbled her map out of her pocket and laid it over the now blazingly hot stone, and yelped with pain. The map fell to the ground, a sun burned into the fragile parchment and Elizabeth's hand.


	30. Sometimes Things Go Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I went in a bit of a different direction with this. :) Read on and see what you think.

One of the burning embers on the fire in Cloud Ruler Temple's Great Hall popped, sending a shower of sparks in the air. The sparks sent a brief moment of dim illumination through the brooding darkness of the Hall. Soft footsteps padded back and forth on the wooden floor in front of the newly raked embers.

A log of hard and gnarled oak landed on the fire, sending another burst of sparks into the air. The fire that smoldered, hidden, in the last dying embers began to tentatively lick at the knotty bark. 

Martin sighed and passed a hand over his weary grey eyes and stared into the tiny fire. His nightmares of the death and blood he had witnessed had seemed to cease for a time after he had reached Cloud Ruler Temple, but now they were back, with a vengeance.

Now they were dreams that touched on that he held most dear.

Unbidden, the images of his dream rose up again, forcing the image of Elizabeth's body, laying bloodied and broken at the foot of a tall and commanding Altmer, the blood red ruby of the Amulet of Kings gleaming at his throat.

" _No,_ " he whispered.

"My lord, you should be in bed."

Martin turned to see Jauffre, standing at the edge of the firelight. He turned back to regard the fire. 

"I couldn't sleep," he said flatly, in a tone that brooked no argument about going back to bed from the older man.

Jauffre nodded silently.

"If it eases your mind, my lord," Jauffre said finally, "I received a report from an agent that Elizabeth worked closely with in the Imperial City."

"And...?"

"Both Brian and Elizabeth are well, my lord. They left the city a week ago to follow a lead on the Amulet of Kings, accompanied by two other Blades."

Martin half smiled at the thought of the chubby, smiling baby boy. "Thank you, Jauffre. That does somewhat ease my mind."

Jauffre looked into the fire for a moment. "I... My lord-"

"How many times, Jauffre?" Martin said wearily. "I'm not a 'lord,' and I would prefer not to be addressed as one."

Jauffre looked uncomfortable. "Martin-"

A burst of violently bright purple light blazed through the room, blinding both men. Marin, momentarily blinded heard an unfamiliar woman's voice, half frantic with fear. "Get off you behinds, you lazy lumps! Can't you see she's dying?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured that what Nerevarine worth their salt wouldn't know a teleportation spell. So I made Alzathiri teleport the three of them back to Cloud Ruler Temple, :)


	31. Infiltration

The sunlight glinted like gold off of the icy, crystalline pool.

"We're getting close," Alzathiri said, studying the charred map. Her fire-red hair was pulled up into a severe bun with a pair of silvery sticks

Elizabeth wasn't paying very close attention as she looked up the long and winding trail that led further up into the mountains. Her hand moved to absentmindedly scratch at the burn on her palm.

"Elizabeth, stop that," Alzathiri said without turning around. "It's never going to heal if you keep fiddling with it."

Elizabeth dropped her hand in an embarrassed fashion, and stuck her tongue out at Alzathiri's back.

"We should keep going a little further," Alzathiri said, folding up the map and stuffing it back in her pocket. "We still have a little bit of daylight left."

She prodded Baurus with her toe. "Get up, you lump," she said. "It's time to move."

Elizabeth rose to her feet, unhappily relinquishing the rock she had been sitting on. Baurus shouldered his knapsack and glared at the faint trail.

"If we must, we must," he muttered.

The air was growing steadily colder, and the trail was beginning to get steep and treacherous. Baurus, low altitude boy that he was, started to fall behind, but Elizabeth, who had grown up in the mountains was barely winded.

"Do you need some help, Baurus?" she asked, offering him her hand.

"I'd hate to overburden you," he said, struggling to his feet. "You already have Brian."

"No, no," she insisted. "It'll be fine."

"Stop!" Alzathiri said suddenly, and turned to them. "I smell woodsmoke."

The woodsmoke was emanating from twin torches placed at the entrance of a cave with a wooden gate fitted at the entrance. Banners of red silk with a golden sunrise emblazoned on them were hung on the rock.

"Stop me if I'm wrong," Elizabeth said slowly. "But I think we found it."

Alzathiri turned to them, looking very serious. 

"Remember what you're supposed to do," she said, her voice suddenly deadly serious. "Remember, Elizabeth. This could turn very bad, and I'm not forcing you to come with us. You have Brian to care for."

Elizabeth swallowed hard and glanced at her little brother's chubby face. Briefly, for a reason she couldn't guess, Martin's face and voice flashed into her mind. _"Be careful Elizabeth. Take of yourself and Brian._

"I know," she said. "I'm ready."

Alzathiri knocked stiffly on the door.

The door creaked open to reveal a man clad in crimson robe. His brown eyes were narrowed in suspicion.

"Dawn is breaking," he said, his tone carrying the decidedly unsubtle overtones of menace.

"Greet the new day," Alzathiri responded.

His tone changed, and turned more warily welcoming. "Welcome sister. The hour is late, but the Master still has need for working hands."

"And you will have many," Alzathiri said regally, indicating Elizabeth and Baurus. 

The man's eyes lit greedily on Elizabeth and he leered suggestively at her. She winced and looked at the ground, not meeting his hungry hazel gaze, and crossed her arms over Brian.

"Carrow is waiting for you inside," he said, bowing deeply to Alzathiri. "He will guide you."

The cave smelled of smoke and ashes. The stone was lit by flickering torches that left rings of soot on the eroded stone. Pure white stalactites reached down from the ceiling like jagged teeth of an enormous predator. Elizabeth felt fear building in her chest as they slowly went deeper into the mountainside.

A tall shape of a regal Dunmer stepped out of the shadows, suddenly and without warning. His vermillion eyes gleamed in the dim torchlight.

"I am Harrow," he said in the husky, rough sounding voice that seemed a common characteristic among the Dunmer. "I am the warden of the Shrine of Dagon."

White teeth flashed against his dark skin."By following the writings of the Master, you have all earned a place among the ranks of the Chosen of Mehrunes Dagon. As a new member, everything you need will be provided for you from the Master's bounty. Give me your possessions and put on the Initiate's robe."

"Give us the robes," Alzathiri said. "Is there a place to change in privacy?"

His lips thinned. "There is a small alcove," he said delicately. "You may change there."

The rough cloth of the crimson robes chafed on Elizabeth's skin as she shifted Brian to her hip and retied the wrap around her chest. She winced at the abrasive cloth as she slid Brian back into his wrap.

"Ready?" 

"Just about," Elizabeth said. Baurus had already changed into his crimson uniform, and stood out like a flame as he spoke in low tones with Harrow. 

Alzathiri finished with her hair and faced the other Dunmer. 

"We are ready, Warden Harrow," she said calmly.

"Follow me," he said soberly.

The cave eerily and unnaturally stretched the sounds inside. Elizabeth could have sworn she heard muffled conversations between people, but when she turned, there was nothing to see. Shivering, she turned back to the group.

Alzathiri caught Elizabeth by the arm. "Keep up," she hissed.

Elizabeth's cheeks coloured. "Sorry," she whispered.

They stopped before a tall iron door, set into the stone. Rust scars laced over the structure like traces of blood. 

"Come," Harrow said. "Your future awaits within."

The door swung open with an ugly sound of metal scraping on stone. 

Elizabeth found herself in a congregation of people, all swathed in robes of crimson, all gazing up at the figure of an Altmer that towered over them on a dais of white stone. He wore deep, sky blue, and his brown hair was pulled away from his long, golden face.

 _So this is Mankar Camoran,_ she thought.

"Praise be!" the great mass of people chanted, gazing worshipfully up at the imposing figure.

"The Dragon Throne is empty, and we hold the Amulet of Kings!" he said, his voice deep and yet beautiful. His voice wrapped Elizabeth in his honeyed words that penetrated her ears and seemed to call to her like a siren. 

Then he produced the shimmering, glowing Amulet of Kings. A collective gasp went up from the crowd, and Alzathiri seized the back of Baurus's robes to keep him from rushing impulsively forward. 

With a great show of ceremony, Mankar Camoran fastened the Amulet around his neck, where it sat, glowing dully. He raised his hands, as if in benediction.

"Praise be to your brothers and sisters! Great shall be their reward in Paradise!' he called, raising his hands to the roof of the enormous cave.

"Praise be!" the mass chanted back at him. Alzathiri and Elizabeth chanted with them, but Baurus just stared, grinding his teeth, at the Altmer who dared to wear the symbol of the Emperor.

"Hear now the words of Lord Dagon. 'When I walk the earth again, the Faithful among you shall receive your reward: to be set above all other Mortals forever. As for the rest: the weak shall be winnowed; the timid shall be cast down; the mighty shall tremble at my feet and pray for pardon.' "

His voice echoed mightily, and Elizabeth shivered with fear at the portent in his words.

"So sayeth Lord Dagon! Praise be!"

"Your reward, Brothers and Sisters! The time of Cleansing draws nigh. I go now to Paradise. I shall return with Lord Dagon at the coming of the Dawn!" he called.

Harrow's hand shot up in the air. "Wait!" he called. "There are Faithful here who wish to be initiated into the ranks of the Chosen!"

"Approach," Mankar Camoran said coolly, his eyes glittering.

Harrow remained behind with the throng of crimson clad Chosen as Elizabeth, Baurus, and Alzathiri (who still hadn't let go of him) ascended the steps up the carven dias.

Mankar Camoran was flanked by two crimson robed Altmer, whose hoods were drawn up around their faces, but Elizabeth could see enough of their faces to see how much they resembled the tall Altmer before her.

The woman strode forward, a glint of silver in her hand. 

"Take this," she said silkily, and pressed a silver dagger into Elizabeth's hand. "You have come to dedicate yourself to Lord Dagon's service. This pact must be sealed with red-drink, the blood of Lord Dagon's enemies. Take up the dagger and offer Lord Dagon the sacrificial red-drink, as pledge of your own life's blood, which shall be his in the end."

The taller Mer shunted her forward, toward the curled, naked form of an Argonian who lay at the feet of a four-armed statue. 

"Kill him," the woman hissed in Elizabeth's ear. "Kill him and pledge yourself to Lord Dagon!"

Elizabeth stared numbly at the silver dagger in her hand, then to the exultant face of the Mer.

"Be your own damn sacrifice," she whispered, and buried the dagger in the other woman's chest.

" **RUMA!** " someone screamed.

All hell was breaking loose. Alzathiri grabbed the only weapon at hand, which happened to be a book, and smacked Mankar Camoran over the head with it as Baurus grappled with Ruma Camoran's brother. Mankar Camoran staggered backward, looking stunned and steadily growing angrier.

And then Elizabeth's world faded in a crimson burst of fiery, torturous pain, and she knew no more.


	32. Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soft fluff for everyone! :)

Elizabeth hazily realized that she could hear voices, worried voices. 

_Am I dreaming?_ she wondered. _Or am I dead?_

 _If I were dead, I wouldn't be hearing anything,_ she reasoned. _That's some comfort._

The voices were that of her mother and father.

"Mamá?" she whispered. "Papá?"

She saw them before her, as clearly as if she was there in the room with them. They were sitting on the bed, her father's arm around her mother.

"I don't know why anyone would have kidnapped Elizabeth and Brian," she wept softly. "We have nothing. Not even a ransom random note."

Her father's eyes hardened, and his arm tightened around his wife's shoulders. "I don't know," he said quietly. "Maybe she wasn't."

"She did _not_ run away!" he mother interjected. "We've been over this!"

"I'm not saying she did," he said grimly. "I'm saying she may have been murdered."

"By whom?" her mother argued. 

"I don't know," her father said wearily. "I don't know."

"Mamá!" she called out, trying to move her suddenly leaden tongue. "Papá! I'm here!"

Even in the dream, her words sounded muffled.

Tears blurred her vision as she tried to claw her way through the fabric of reality, if only to speak to her parents, reassure them in some, small way....

The firelight was burning low in the Infirmary of Cloud Ruler Temple. Martin was reading by the warm, reddish glow, Brian cuddled on his lap, fast asleep. 

Martin shifted a little bit, realizing that the young child's weight was making his leg fall asleep. Brian stirred a little bit, and then settled back down and Martin smiled gently at the round chubby face of the little boy. 

Brian had been wailing hysterically when he had appeared suddenly in the Great Hall, along with a woman who seemed to be the famous Nerevarine and Redguard Martin did not know.

And Elizabeth.

Martin looked up, almost subconsciously, toward the now-sleeping figure on the bed. It had taken hours of work and fear and ceaseless prayer before she had come back from the brink of death that Mankar Camoran's spell had brought her to. Brian had watched the whole time, refusing to be put down, or put to bed. Alzathiri had held him, even as she had worked alongside Martin, uncomplaining.

Elizabeth stirred and whispered something. Martin looked over again, and got up, cradling the sleeping Brian. 

"Mam," she whispered. "Papá."

A silvery tear tracked down her face and fell onto the pillow.

"Elizabeth," Martin said gently, taking her hand. "Elizabeth."

"Mamá," she wept. "Papá."

Brian stirred a little bit at the sound of his sister's voice. 

"Please," she whispered, tearstreaks staining her face.

"Elizabeth," Martin said quietly, reaching out and gently wiping away her tears.

"M-Martin?" she whispered, without opening her eyes.

Martin's heart sped up slightly. "I'm here."

"Brian," she whispered. "Brian?"

"He's here," he said softly, and he laid the sleeping baby in the crook of her arm. "He's alright."

But she seemed to have drifted back into sleep.

Martin sat there for a long time, holding her hand gently. Brian was tucked between them, under the soft linen covers with his sister and ceaseless guardian.


	33. A Discussion

"I'm glad you're at least awake again," Alzathiri said, bouncing Brian on her lap. The baby laughed, and cooed up at the now familiar angular grey face.

Elizabeth smiled broadly, reaching out to Brian and letting him grip her fingers. "I'm getting better, despite what Martin would say," she said. 

Her voice was still slightly hoarse, and she tended to cough every other sentence, but at least she could sit up now.

"You should have seen him when I handed him the Mysterium Xarxes," Alzathiri said. "I didn't realize he was such a good shouter."

"What did he say?" Elizabeth asked.

"Here, take Brian and I'll show you," Alzathiri said.

Elizabeth managed a laugh. "You're going to do a full re-enactment, aren't you?"

Alzathiri winked at her. "Settle back and enjoy the entertainment."

Elizabeth laughed so hard she had a coughing fit, watching Alzathiri's highly exaggerated re-enactment of Martin's reaction to being offered the Mysterium Xarxes.

"By the Nine," she roared, suddenly leaping out of her chair and whisking Brian away from Elizabeth. "Such a thing is dangerous even to handle!"

Brian giggled uproariously, loudly voicing his approval of this new game. Elizabeth laughed (and coughed) until her lungs (and eyes) cried for mercy.

"What on earth is going on in here?" Martin asked, poking his head into the Infirmary. 

"Nothing," Elizabeth giggled, wiping her eyes. 

Martin's lips twitched in a very slight smile. "That is nonsense," he said, sternly. "Alzathiri, you are being entirely too energetic for my patient. She needs rest and recovery."

Alzathiri snorted. It was a very unladylike sound indeed. "You only want her all to yourself," she said, in an exquisitely dignified tone.

Elizabeth choked. Martin's eyebrow went up. 

"Excuse me?" he said, his tone matching Alzathiri's in exquisite politeness and dignity.

"I was just going," Alzathiri said, sweeping out of the room and handing Brian to Martin.

Elizabeth settled back into the pillows.

"I have absolutely no idea what she was talking about," Elizabeth said, looking at the ceiling with studied nonchalance.

Martin laughed, sitting in the chair beside the bed. "I think you probably do," he said lightly. "But that's not what I came to speak of."

"What then?" Elizabeth asked, propping herself up again.

"We have a lead," Martin said. "A lead to Mankar Camoran."

"And the Amulet."

"Yes."

"Good," Elizabeth said viciously, a twinkle of fierceness in her now icy blue eyes. "I have an even more personal score now."

"You'll be off bed rest soon enough," Martin said patiently. "As it is, you couldn't walk even if I let you get up."

Elizabeth sighed as she settled back into the pillow again. "I know," she said quietly. "I just don't want to be a burden. But, please, continue."

"I believe that this book is the key to Camoran's Paradise," he said. "In a sense, perhaps the book _is_ Camoran's Paradise. And the path into lays within it's accursed pages."

Elizabeth laughed softly. "You know, a few months ago, I would have thought that was next to impossible," she said. "What can I do?"

"Get well and stop scaring me like that," he said. "So far, I've made no progress, but it's only the first week."

She could feel another coughing fit start to build under her ribcage. "I'll get well as soon as I can," she promised. 

Behind the door, Alzathiri grinned wickedly at Baurus. 

"Pay up," she demanded in a whisper. 

"Not fair," Baurus grumbled, fishing two septims from his pocket. 

"Totally fair," Alzathiri said. "The bet was your idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it's bad, ^^; I just wanted to write some light fluff and Alzathiri being a shipper on the deck, :-D


	34. Spies

"Martin, I'm fine," Elizabeth argued. "I just have the cough, that's all. If anyone's not fine, it's you."

The lines and shadows under Martin's eyes had deepened dramatically. He looked physically ill and Haggard. The haunted look that Elizabeth had seen when they first met flickered in the depths of his blue-grey eyes, and his cheeks and chin were stubbled.

" _I'm_ fine," Martin argued, bracing himself on the table he had commandeered. "I do not see why Jauffre sees fit to send you off on potentially dangerous missions as soon as you get out of bed."

"I've been up and about for three days," she countered. " _I'm fine._ "

" _Only_ three days," he argued back. "These people are dangerous."

Elizabeth shook her head, feeling another irritating bloom of coughs in her chest. She was afraid if she opened her mouth they'd come exploding out. 

"I can handle it," she finally managed, sounding even hoarser.

Martin sighed, running a hand through his tangled brown hair. 

Alzathiri put her hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. "Martin," she said gently. "It will be fine."

Martin didn't meet her eyes.

"What about Brian?" Elizabeth asked tentatively. 

"What about him?" Martin asked, somewhat resignedly.

Elizabeth dropped her own gaze to the floor, toying with her hair. "I-I was wondering if he could stay here," she said.

"Stay here?" Martin echoed.

Elizabeth managed to bring her eyes up from the floor. "I'm worried about taking him again," she admitted quietly. "What if I die on a mission? What if he gets hurt?" 

"Oh," Martin said, his grey eyes suddenly understanding. "Of course."

"I don't want to be a burden," Elizabeth said quickly. "I-"

"Elizabeth," Martin said, his eyes turning very earnest. "You are not a burden, and neither is Brian. Looking after him would be an honest joy."

"You should have seen your face," Alzathiri teased as they rode down the mountain trail. 

Elizabeth didn't look at her, and purposefully let her now-loose hair sweep forward to cover her face. Alzathiri chuckled and urged her horse ahead. 

"How long will we be staying in Bruma?" Elizabeth asked, deliberately changing the subject. "And where will we be staying?"

"The _where_ is easy," Alzathiri said. "The how long? Not so much."

Elizabeth glanced backward at the tall, proud fortress standing on the mount, feeling suddenly lonely, and drew her hood up around her face.

"At least we have a proper lead this time," Alzathiri said suddenly. 

"The runestone," Elizabeth said, her heart still feeling strangely heavy, perhaps because for the first time in months, her arms were not weighed down by a baby boy. 

"The runestone, specifically at dusk," Alzathiri replied. "And Burd has some information too."

Elizabeth nodded. "Where is the runestone?"

"At the very foot of the mountain," Alzathiri said. 

"So who takes the runestone and who deals with Captain Burd?" Elizabeth asked.

"You are joking," Alzathiri said. "If Martin hears that I let you in harm's way, I am toast."

"You two!" Elizabeth shouted. "I'm **FINE**!"

She said it so violently that the cough that had been hiding deep in her chest suddenly exploded, and manifested itself in an attack so strong she was left gasping for breath.

Elizabeth had a hard time falling asleep that night. Each time, she hovered on the verge of sleep, and each time, she was brought back like lightning by the absence of that familiar weight in her arms. After the months she had spent in a world that was constantly keeping her on guard, for fear of losing that which she held most dear, she could not settle down, even though she knew that Martin would never let anything happen to Brian.

Alzathiri was already asleep in the other bed. Elizabeth was _not_ going to wake her up, just because her anxiety refused to let her sleep.

She flipped over, murmuring curse words into her pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, Elizabeth. Neither Alzathiri or Martin believes you at all.


	35. Dealing with Spies

"You look awful," Alzathiri said that morning, when Elizabeth came down the stairs from the room they had rented. "Did you sleep at all?"

Elizabeth did not answer verbally. Instead she glared at her friend, and sat down to brush her wildly tangled hair.

"I'm going to take that as a 'no,' " Alzathiri sighed. "Breakfast?"

"Yes please," Elizabeth said wearily. 

"How's your chest?" Alzathiri asked.

"Fine," Elizabeth said quickly. "I'm fine."

"Hmm?" Alzathiri said skeptically, but chose to drop the subject.

Elizabeth handed the hairbrush back to Alzathiri, her long, thick hair finally detangled into a slightly more manageable form. "Do you have a spare tie?" she asked. "I broke that last one."

Alzathiri dug one of her spare leather thongs out of her pocket, and Elizabeth accepted it with a nod of thanks.

"So who takes care of the runestone, and who deals with Burd?" Elizabeth asked, restating the question of the evening before. 

Alzathiri gave her the exact same response as the night before, and Elizabeth growled with frustration. 

"I hate talking to people," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. 

"You don't seem to have much trouble talking with Martin," Alzathiri said innocently.

"Shut up," Elizabeth snapped, colouring.

"Are you going to say I'm wrong?" Alzathiri asked.

Elizabeth pulled the woolen cloak tighter around herself, shivering in the bitter cold. It seemed to be already winter up here in the highlands, and thus, it was snowing. 

The white snow dusted everything, graciously covering the starkness of the dry, bare ground. It crunched beneath Elizabeth's booted feet as she strode purposefully up the terraced stonework to Castle Bruma.

"Where is Captain Burd?" she asked one of the guards at the tall wooden gates into the castle proper.

The yellow-uniformed guard (who was shorter than her, which made her happy to see), snapped to attention. "Uh...Ma'am?"

"Captain Burd," she said crisply and curtly. "Where is he?"

He was in the barracks, a noisy, crowded place that still managed to be just as cold, if not colder than the rest of the castle. It smelled of rancid fat and unwashed bodies, and filled with the chatter of off-duty guardsmen.

Captain Burd was easy to see. He towered at least four inches above them all and was powerfully built. 

"I'm Captain Burd, of the guardsmen here in Bruma," he said, in a loud, booming voice. "What can I do for you, ma'am?"

"I'm Elizabeth of the Blades," she said, with a tinge of authority in her voice that surprised even her. "I'm here to speak to you on the matter of spies in Bruma."

Burd's keen eyes flickered around him, and an grave expression crossed his face. 

"Not here," he said. 

Burd had a small office, little more than a closet, really, with a desk and a fireplace somehow jammed into the small space. It was warmer though, and Elizabeth was grateful for that.

"I'd offer you a seat, but there isn't one," Burd said gruffly, folding his arms across his chest. "Now, about the spies in Bruma..."

Elizabeth waited politely.

Burd turned around, and started pacing, his hands behind his back. "Apart from Jearl coming back from a trip down south, things are pretty quiet," he said finally. "People are mostly staying home, what with all the troubles in the world."

"I was informed that you had knowledge pertaining to the identity of the spy," Elizabeth said, marvelling at how authoritative and unafraid she sounded.

Burd looked her squarely in the eyes for a full minute. Elizabeth felt her eyes beginning to water, but held his gaze until he finally blinked and looked away.

"I have my suspicions," he said bluntly. "But my gut has never been wrong before. I think it's Jearl." 

Elizabeth sighed in frustration as she left the castle.

The midday sun was filtering through a gap in the clouds above, brightening the landscape, and throwing light back into her face by dint of the snow. Her stomach felt vaguely empty, and she realized that if she was hungry, than Brian would be too. 

Then she remembered, and dropped her eyes back down to the stone stairs. She expected a sudden wave, of loneliness, but instead, she was glad. Glad that Brian was safe, and with someone who cared for him just as much as she herself did. 

Brian giggled at Martin, grabbing handfuls of his chestnut-brown hair. Martin winced, and tried to disengage the baby's chubby fingers. "Brian," he said patiently. "Let me go."

Mirth danced in Brian's gray-green eyes, and he tugged playfully, if painfully at the roots of Martin's hair.

"Do you require assistance, My Lord?" Baurus asked, barely keeping the laughter out of his voice. 

"No," Martin said, laughing himself. "But really, Baurus. I'm no Lord. I'm just a man, like the rest of you."

Baurus grinned sheepishly. "Yes M- sir. I'm sorry sir."

Martin laughed again, the corners of his eyes crinkling with merriment. "We have a long way to go, you and I," he said, addressing Brian, as he lifted him into the air. 

Brian cooed and clapped his hands.

_Rule number one of sneaking up on people,_ Elizabeth thought. _Don't knock on the door._

Elizabeth let her gaze drop to the rising sun that had been scarred into her palm. _But maybe..._

It was definitely risky, but then again, what wasn't? Ever since she had been thrown into this now almost familiar world, her life had been a careful balancing act of risk and reward.

_Risk and Reward_

She stepped up to the door of Jearl's tiny house, and knocked smartly on the door.

It was opened by a Redguard woman, a couple inches shorter than Elizabeth. 

"Who are you?" she asked suspiciously. "I'm not buying anything."

Elizabeth lifted her hand, and wordlessly showed Jearl the sun brand on her palm. 

The woman's eyes widened, and she seized Elizabeth's hand and tugged her through the door, slamming it shut behind her.

"You idiot!" Jearl hissed. "People will see you!"

There was a Dunmer woman sitting at the table, eating what seemed to be a soupy porridge. Her crimson eyes widened, then narrowed when she saw Elizabeth.

"Who are you?" she asked, repeating her companion.

Elizabeth's hand closed around the hilt of the ebony shortsword that Alzathiri had given her to replace the dagger she had lost to the Mythic Dawn.

"I am Elizabeth of the Blades," she said evenly. "Surrender."

For a moment, nobody moved. Then, in a flash of sickly, sulfur yellow light, Jearl and the Dunmer had summoned the twisted, tortured forms of Daedric daggers, giving Elizabeth just the fraction of a second to unsheathe her own sword and slash the Dunmer across the chest. She fell backward, cursing fluently, tipping over the flimsy table, and accidentally sitting in the bowl of porridge she had been eating.

"Saveri!" Jearl cried, slashing wildly with her dagger. Elizabeth found herself being pushed backward under the flurry of blows.

"I'm fine," Saveri choked, although clearly not. She struggled to her feet, blood seeping through the long, ugly gash, her dagger clutched tightly in her hand. Elizabeth was having a hard enough time parrying the rain of blows from Jearl, and realized that even as injured as she was, Elizabeth would not have a chance if Saveri rejoined the battle.

A thought drifted up through Elizabeth's consciousness. A memory of her and her brother trying to practice fistfighting with each other, and he would always complain that she cheated when she would kick him. And complain she cheated when she would distract him with her habit of smiling as she fought.

She grinned, a strange, feral grin that lit up her face with a crazy glow. Jearl actually faltered for a moment, transfixed by the insane look on Elizabeth's face, and she went in for the kill.

Elizabeth stabbed Jearl through the neck. Jearl's eye widened, and she fell to her knees with a sound like a dying goat. Elizabeth wrenched her blade out of Jearl's body, and turned on the already injured Saveri.

It was over faster than she had expected. When Saveri's corpse lay at her feet, for a moment, she just stood there, panting, the shortsword held loosely in the very edges of her fingers. In a rather detatched way, she realized that she had inadvertantly ruined her clothes with the splatters of blood. A line of hot pain traced itself from her collarbone to her left shoulder.

She felt like she was going to throw up. The dead eyes of Jearl and Saveri stared at her, blaming, accusing, boring into her soul, and chanting: _Murderer. Murderer._

 _Alzathiri's going to have a fit,_ she thought hazily, tearing her eyes away from the corpses on the floor. _I think I'd have one if I had enough mental energy._

The entire situation took some serious explaining to Burd, and by the time she was finished, she was hunted down by a _very_ upset Alzathiri. By the time she was done thoroughly explaining _that_ , it was nearly midnight, and Elizabeth was nearly asleep on her feet. She managed to stumble into the Jerall View and collapse on the first available surface, but she was nearly incapable of anything further.

"Elizabeth," Alzathiri whispered, shaking her awake. "Wake up."

"I am awake," she mumbled. Firelight flickered and danced on the walls, making her drowsy again.

"Not enough for teleportation," Alzathiri said. "Come on."

"Teleportation?" Elizabeth blinked.

"Yes," Alzathiri said. "Recall, specifically."

"Recall?"

"It would take too long to explain," Alzathiri said, rolling up the scroll that Elizabeth had found in the caves beneath Jearl's house. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you want to wait until tomorrow to get this to Jauffre."

Elizabeth got up from the wooden chair in front of the hearth at the Jerall View Inn. Alzathiri was already on her feet, clearing the table she had commandeered. 

"How are you going to do this?" Elizabeth enquired curiously. 

"A complicated and difficult spell," Alzathiri replied. "One which saved your life."

Elizabeth grimaced at the memory. "When?"

"Now."

"But-"

Alzathiri handed her the scroll, which she had neatly refurled. "When we get back to the Temple you might want to take a quick look at that," she said. "It speaks remarkably highly of you."

She seized Elizabeth by the hand, her fingers brushing the sun scar on Elizabeth's palm. "Get ready," she said. "One, Two, Three-"

Elizabeth's world drowned in violet light.


	36. The Aftermath of a Small Bloodbath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Super short, >.< Sorry. I'll post another, longer one soon, I promise.

The violently purple light seared through the room. Martin, his anxiety over the ungodly stubborn woman named Elizabeth, and what had happened the last time he had seen that kind of light, leapt out of his chair. 

The light was gone again, leaving him momentarily blinded. "Elizabeth?" he called, feeling a momentary surge of panic. "Don't tell me you're dying again."

"Martin?" came that very familiar voice. "I'm fine. Why in the name of Mehrunes Dagon's unholy loincloth are you still awake?"

He blinked hard, trying to banish the obscuring afterimage. There was Elizabeth, looking tired and bloodspattered, but thankfully not in any immediate danger of dying. He stumbled forward, lack of sleep over the past week or so, making him clumsier than normal. Elizabeth caught him before he fell, and wrapped him an a warm hug.

 _This means I have to pay Baurus back_ Alzathiri thought. _Bother_.

Elizabeth seemed to realize that Alzathiri was actually in the same room, and let go of Martin, suddenly embarrassed and awkward. 

"i-Um-It's nice to be back," she said awkwardly. "Er...Brian's? In bed?"

Alzathiri muffled a snicker at the blush that was spreading over Elizabeth's face and the slightly garbled string of words.

Martin nodded, a strangely tender look on his face. "Yes, he is," he said warmly. "I...I moved his cradle into my room while you were gone."

"Oh," Elizabeth said, glancing at the floor. "Thanks for taking care of him, while-while I was gone."

"It was my pleasure," he said. "I suppose you'll want him back?"

Elizabeth laughed quietly. "Not tonight."

Neither of them noticed that Alzathiri had melted away into the shadows of the Great Hall, leaving the two of them alone.

Martin smiled, and put his hand on her shoulder. "He is asleep, but you could come see him."

She felt herself blushing, but nodded. "Yes, thank you."


	37. Training and Enemy Orders

"Go get her, Brian."

Elizabeth rolled over, and opened her eyes as soon as the thoroughly energetic little boy crawled on top of her. 

"Come on," Alzathiri said. "Time to start training."

Elizabeth shut her eyes again. "Oh, joy," she said sarcastically.

It was even earlier than Elizabeth thought it would be. The sun was barely beginning to crest in the chilly winter sky. 

"It's freezing out here," Elizabeth grumbled. "Do we need to be doing this?"

"If you are going to keep scaring me like that, you at least need to learn how to fight properly," Alzathiri said, her breath making small silver puffs in the air. "Take the sword."

Elizabeth took the hilt of the proffered practice sword, and ran a finger down its dull edges.. "It's freezing out here," she said, feeling an uncomfortably familiar tickle building beneath her ribs. She lifted the iron blade half-heartedly. 

Alzathiri grinned. "That means that we're out here before anyone else. Now lift your sword properly!"

Elizabeth sighed, but did her best to mirror her friend's stance. 

"Higher," Alzathiri said. "Good. Now parry me!"

Martin came out, Brian balanced on his hip. The sun was now full in the sky. Elizabeth and Alzathiri were no longer alone in their practicing, indeed, a crowd had gathered to watch the two of them sparring. They occasionally called out conflicting words of advice and encouragement to both women.

Sweat ran in rivulets down Elizabeth's face, despite the chill of the morning. She bared her teeth in concentration, her muscles aching with fatigue, as she swung again at Alzathiri's unprotected side. The Dunmer blocked it quickly, but even she was beginning to tire. 

"Go!" Caroline shouted. "Strike at her right!"

"No!" Achille cried. "Feint to the left, now!"

"Elizabeth!" Baurus called. "Strike! Just strike now!"

Elizabeth followed Baurus's advice and swung, harder than she meant to, at Alzathiri's side. It went past the block and connected, making the Dunmer double over suddenly in pain. Elizabeth dropped her sword and went to her friend.

"I'm fine," Alzathiri gasped. "Just winded. I'm fine."

Elizabeth helped her upright, and gathered up the training swords. Alzathiri handed them to another Blade, who presumably took them back to the armoury. 

"Well done, for your first day of proper training," Martin said, as the two combatants made their way back to the Temple. Brian laughed and reached for his sister. 

"Tell that to my bruises," Elizabeth said, but she smiled anyway. "Is anyone in the baths?"

"It's the middle of the day," Martins said. "I don't think so." 

"Come on, Elizabeth," Alzathiri said.

When Elizabeth emerged from the baths, Martin was back at the table he had commandeered, Brian playing on a blanket spread beside his chair.

"Elizabeth," he greeted. "I take it no-one was in the baths?" His eyes twinkled wickedly at her.

Elizabeth caught his eye and blushed helplessly. "No," she said, trying not to giggle guiltily. 

Martin laughed, long and merry. For a beautiful moment, the cares under which he had laboured for so long disappeared. "You are a wonderful human being, Elizabeth," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders. 

Elizabeth smiled shyly at the compliment and awkwardly scuffed her boot on the floor. "Thank you," she said, knowing she was blushing. 

Jauffre cleared his throat, making Elizabeth start guiltily. Martin turned, perfectly calmly and composedly, to face the older man. 

"Is there something you needed, Grandmaster?" he said politely. 

Elizabeth winced at the expression in Jauffre's eyes. 

"I wish to speak with Elizabeth," he said stiffly. "Am I interfering with anything?"

Elizabeth mutely met Martin's eyes, and then shook her head. "No, sir," she said. 

Jauffre acknowledged her with an irritable dip of the head.

The Grandmaster was silent as he led her through the winding passages of Cloud Ruler Temple. Elizabeth made no attempt to break the silence, and doubted that she could speak even if she wanted to. A sick feeling of anxiety started to percolate in her chest.

Jauffre's 'office' was more cluttered than Elizabeth expected. His desk was covered in old scrolls and half-open books, strewn haphazardly about. The open pages were adorned with crumpled pieces of ink-webbed parchment.

"I don't have any chairs," the old man said gruffly. "You'll have to stand."

"Yessir," Elizabeth said crisply. She wasn't sure what she had done wrong, but she wasn't going to do anything to make it worse. She stood straight at attention, just like her father had taught her to, and did not blink.

Jauffre was silent for a moment, as if he was collecting his thoughts. His arms were folded across his steel-plated chest, and his grey eyes were stormy with doubt and concern. 

"Did you read the document you gave me?" he asked, picking up a tightly rolled scroll from his desk. "The one found in Jearl's house?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, sir."

Jauffre handed her the furled parchment. "Read it," he said. "I think you'll find it interesting."

Elizabeth received the scroll with some trepidation, but unrolled it and read:

_Jearl._

_The Master was pleased to hear of your activities outside Chorrol. The more Oblivion Gates we can open, the nearer we are to the glorious Cleansing._

_In addition, the Master has chosen you and Saveri for a most crucial mission; a sign of your advancement through the ranks of the Chosen. We have learned that the Septim heir and his 'companion' have gone to ground at Cloud Ruler Temple, lair of the accursed Blades. The Master has made its destruction a top priority of the Order, and Lord Dagon has comitted whatever rescources required._

_Pending your report on the details of Cloud Ruler Temple(e.g. escape routes, defenses), and the Septim's activities, we plan to open a Great Gate on the open ground before Bruma as soon as possible._

_Remember: the first Lesser Gates represent only the preliminary stages of Great Gate Deployment. Do not in any way compromise your cover in defense of these Gates. New ones can be quickly and easily reopened. And once the Great Gate is opened, the destruction of Bruma will be assured. Cloud Ruler Temple cannot stand long after that, and the Septim will be caught like a rat in a trap._

_We have recieved intelligence that the Nerevarine has also joined the Blades of Cloud Ruler Temple. Please attempt to verify this information, but be very careful. In addition, we would welcome any details about the Blades Agent who rescued Martin from Kvatch, but again, we caution you, DO NOT risk a confrontation. This individual is not to be trifled with. If you see her, do not attack, or speak with her, and especially do no harm to her child. The baby may be useful for turning her to our own use. If we can manage to take the child, she will have no choice but to join us._

_The Dawn is Breaking_

_Ruma Camoran  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if updates are going to slow down a bit or not, because I really need to get ontop of two other books that are posted on Wattpad because I haven't been updating those as regularly as I should. :(


	38. He'll Be Safe Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about all the fluff, I promise. I'll get back to writing serious stuff soon.

"What happened?" Martin asked, concernedly. 

Elizabeth picked up Brian and held him tightly. 

Martin got out of his chair, a furrow appearing between his eyebrows. "Elizabeth, what's wrong?" 

"The orders that I took," she said shakily. "From Jearl. I-They-He..." her voice trailed off, and she looked away. 

Martin took her hands and sat her down on the chair. "Elizabeth. Calm down."

He tilted her chin gently to look him in the eyes. "Elizabeth. Look at me."

She did, levelly as she dared. "I- I think you should ask Jauffre to read that thing."

When Martin came back, his eyes were grim and hard. Alzathiri, who had just come in from her watch, looked at him quizzically. 

"What in the name of Vivec's great idea is wrong with you two?" she asked. 

Martin's words were few but forceful. Alzathiri suddenly dropped her lightly joking air. 

"So you found it out," she said quietly, patting Elizabeth on the shoulder. 

Brian cooed, and patted Elizabeth too, in imitation of Alzathiri. Elizabeth chuckled weakly, and kissed his round little cheek.

"It will be all right," Martin said gently, putting his arm around her. "You know that I will protect him. I know that you would protect him. We won't let them take Brian."

"I know," Elizabeth said. "And yet, I'm still scared."

"Who wouldn't be?" Martin said, slipping his hand over hers. "You've been through more than most already. But I can promise you that nothing will ever, ever happen to Brian while I draw breath."

Elizabeth nodded, not trusting herself to speak. 

"I know," she managed through a lump in her throat. "Thank you."

Martin paged through the book, the soft rustling of paper on paper strangely loud in the silent hall. Elizabeth sat beside the fireplace, humming an unfamiliar lullaby to Brian. 

Alzathiri had gone to bed nearly an hour ago, but Brian seemed to wake up every time Elizabeth so much as changed position. Any other time she might have complained laughingly, but now, she held him closer, unwiling to speak any ill of her brother. 

The logs collapsed in a shower of sparks and bright embers as Elizabeth tossed a log on the fire. Brian stirred slightly, but settled back down as Elizabeth sat back again, watching the flames begin to tentatively lick over the rough grey bark of the piney log. Elizabeth felt her eyelids growing heavier as she gazed into the bright, hungry flames.

Elizabeth tried again to get up from her crosslegged tailor-sit in front of the fire. This time Brian remained still and sleeping, as she rose to her feet before she fell asleep herself. She did the smallest of double-takes when she saw Martin still in his chair, his candle starting to burn low.

"You should be in bed already," she said mildlly. 

"I could say the same for you," he replied, but his tone belied his smile. 

"Yes, but _I'm_ going to bed," she parried, beginning to smile too. "Where's Baurus?"

"In bed."

"You see?"

The darkness in the hall was warm and friendly, a far cry from the cold, antagonistic darkness of the Mythic Dawn Sanctuary, or the rank, putrid darkness of the sewers. It was a familiar feeling, almost like how she had felt at home.

Home.

It seemed so far away and yet it was also right here. She almost expected to see her father walk through the doors, snow in his beard and firewood in his arms, see her brothers teasing her sisters by the fire, see her mother laughing and reprimanding in the same breath.

"What's wrong?" Martin asked, sensing the sudden change in her demeanor.

"Nothing," she whispered, and before she could think herself out of it, she bent and pressed a brief kiss to his cheek. "Goodnight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'know what? SCREW my other books (don't actually mean, that buuuuuut.....)! I'm just going to make this one my priority because it. Makes. Me. Happy. :) Please have a nice day.


	39. The First Breakthrough

It was the first day of the second week that Elizabeth had spent at Cloud Ruler Temple. 

Elizabeth was coming in to seek shelter from the bitingly cold winds that swept down the mountainside. They had turned her face and hands cherry red and cold as ice.

Martin looked up quickly to see who it was, his eyes shinig with excitement. Brian, balanced against his chest, was clapping his hands with excitement.

"I did it!" Martin cried triumphantly. He rose from his chair with a horrible noise of wood on stone, and ran toward Elizabeth, catching her and spinning her around. Brian was unsure with this new game, but ready and willing to play along. He laughed, his face dimpling,at the sudden proximity of his two favourite people.

Elizabeth laughed dizzily. "What happened?" she asked when Martin finally released her. 

"I found the first thing that we'll need to open the gateway into Camoran's Paradise," he explained, leading her back to his table. "Look."

Elizabeth looked down at the scribbled notes and half-written, half-blotted letters. 

"It's the blood of a Daedra Lord," Martin explained. "The Xarxes mentions four things needed for the opening of Camoran's Paradise, but I've only decifered one of them." He jabbed triumphantly at the parchment. 

"How do I get the blood of a Daedra Lord?" Elizabeth asked, trying not to sound like a complete idiot. 

"The artifacts associated with each of the Daedra Princes are known to be derived from the essence of each Prince, from which they derive their great power. Not an easy thing to come by, obviously."

Elizabeth nodded, her mind turning over the information. "How can I find one?"

Martin's eyes turned sober again. "The only way to obtain a Daedric artifact is through one of the cults devoted to each of the Daedric Princes. The book 'Modern Heretics' is the best introduction to Daedric cults, but Alzathiri could tell you more."

"Do you have a copy?" Elizabeth asked, her eyes darting across the manuscripts strewn across the table. 

"I think I might still have it, but Jauffre might have borrowed it," Martin said, brushing his chestnut coloured hair out of his eyes.

Elizabeth's eyes lit on a slim green book, bound in cloth and emblazoned in silver. She pounced on it and lifted it triumphantly. "I found it!" she said. 

"What happened?" Alzathiri asked, closing the hall door behind her. There were flakes of snow dusting her hair. "Don't tell me she kissed you, Martin?"

Elizabeth turned pink and tried to stutter an explanation. "N-no, n-n-nothing like that," she said. 

"I've managed to translate the first item we need for the gate-opening ritual," Martin said calmly. Elizabeth was suddenly very conscious of his hand over hers. 

"Have you?" Alzathiri asked, flipped her red hair out of her face. "What is it?"

"An artifact of a Daedra Lord," Elizabeth said. 

Alzathiri's face went suddenly very solemn. "I see," she said quietly. "This is going to take some planning." She turned to Martin. "When should we leave?"

"I don't know," Martin said. "As soon as possible, I suppose."

Alzathiri sat down and began to loosen her boots. "Which Prince do you think we should go to?"

"I thought Azura would probably be the most reasonable one to speak to...?" Martin said tentatively.

"NO!"

Brian, startled by the suddenness and strength of the loud noise began to cry. Martin began to rock him gently, but Elizabeth stared at Alzathiri. 

"W-Can I ask why?" she said carefully.

Alzathiri dropped her eyes to her boots. "I'm sorry I made you cry Brian," she said. For a moment she sounded as if she was going to cry herself. 

Elizabeth took Brian from Martin and began to walk up and down in front of the hearth with him, humming her lullaby.

It took a few day until Elizabeth and Alzathiri were finally ready to leave. Elizabeth's mood was not overly cheerful at the prospect of partin with Baurus, Brian, and Martin, and relished the last few days she spent in their company.

Then, at last, on one clear but cold day, they were ready to depart. Alzathiri roused Elizabeth early that morning, and they spent a quiet hour readying their leave. 

"Martin's awake," Alzathiri said, coming out with a last bundle of travelling provisions. "So's Brian, if you want to say goodbye."

"Oh," Elizabeth said, pausing in her movements of readying Jerall, who had finally arrived from the Imperial City's Stables. Caius had sent her along after they had been forced to leave the horses in his care.

"Go on," Alzathiri said. "Don't take too long. Baurus will be out in a minute to bid farewell." 

Elizabeth set aside the bit and bridle, and left at something very close to a run.

Martin smiled when he saw her come through the door. Brian, not at all sure why he was awake so early, blinked up at his sister from the warm safety of Martin's arms. 

Elizabeth stroked Brian's soft cheek. "If I keep having to go away like this, he's going to start liking you better than me," she half-joked.

"No he won't," Martin said. "You've become a mother to him. He won't forget you."

"If I've become a mother to him, you've become his father," Elizabeth said, pressing a light kiss to Brian's cheek. He lifted his arms in a mute request to be picked up.

"There would be nothing I'd like more," Martin replied, relinquishing the chubby boy to Elizabeth. She briefly looked up, and her bright blue eyes met his blue-grey ones. She felt herself flush, just a little bit, but knew that he spoke the absolute truth.

Elizabeth tried to find the words to speak, but her power over her tongue seemed to have suddenly vanished. She smiled shyly, and kissed Martin on the cheek.

"Be safe," she said. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," he said in return. 

Elizabeth reluctantly handed Brian back to Martin, smiling sadly.

"I need to go," she said regretfully.

Martin's eyes turned almost shy as he looked at her. "Elizabeth, I-"

"Elizabeth?" Alzathiri called, poking her head through the doors. "Hurry up. We need to leave."

"Go," Martin said. "Come back in one piece please."

"Don't worry," she said. "i'll be alright."


	40. Riding South

Martin's farewell remained in Elizabeth's mind as she and Alzathiri rode south. His half-begun sentence hung in her mind, and she caught herself wondering what he had been about to say. Each time she remembered, her chest felt strangely light and it felt as if a thousand butterflies were fluttering in her midsection. 

"Are you alright?" Alzathiri asked her after they had passed the proud stone walls of Bruma. "You haven't said a word."

"I'm...fine," Elizabeth said, her voice a little dreamy.

Alzathiri looked at her sharply. "What did I interrupt?"

"Nothing important," Elizabeth said quickly, looking from the sky to her horse's mane.

There were well into the forest by the time they needed to stop for the night. Alzathiri found a small grove, not too far from the road, where the snow had not yet covered the dry grass or a place to build a fire. Elizabeth began to search the saddlebags for the provisions they had brought. 

"Alzathiri?" she asked, finding the loaf of bread she had stowed away.

"Mmhmm?" 

Elizabeth dropped into a crosslegged sit in front of the infantile fire that Alzathiri had kindled with a spell. "Why...what's wrong with Azura?" she asked tentatively, looking at the Dunmer worriedly.

Alzathiri suddenly stiffened like a pinnacle of lava-hardened rock. Her face went hard.

"Nevermind," Elizabeth said, immediately, dropping her eyes. "I just- nevermind."

"No," Alzathiri sighed. "It's a long story, and rather painful, but I can tell you the short version." 

She stared into the flickering flames, and they reflected in her crimson eyes. "I...You know I'm the Nerevarine."

"Yes," Elizabeth said, not sure what else to say. 

"I was more or less forced into that role by the machinations of Azura," Alzathiri said flatly. "For a while I just accepted it. I followed Azura, I completed the Trials of the Nerevarine. I more or less united the Houses of Morrowind as well as the Ashlanders."

She took a deep, shuddering breath as if she had been plunged into cold water. For a moment, Elizabeth thought she saw tears glimmering in the depths of her friend's eyes. 

"I went through with it all. I went to the Red Mountain and confronted Dagoth Ur. I defeated my former brother and destroyed the Heart that bound him and the Tribunal of Morrowind to godhood. Azura appeared to me, and suddenly... I remembered. I remembered Nerevar's--Mine? His? I was given his memories."

"Oh," Elizabeth said quietly.

"That's not all," Alzathiri said. "A year later, I journeyed to the mainland to see Almalexia and Sotha Sil again, to forgive them for my death at their hands."

Elizabeth's eyes formed question marks, but she listened closely.

"The loss of the heart had driven Almalexia to madness. She had killed Sotha Sil, and tried to kill me."

Alzathiri wiped her eyes with a single quick motion, and continued, her voice slightly choked. "I-Nerevar had loved her. She was his queen. I- _I_ had not known her, but with Nerevar's memories, killing her was one of the hardest things I've done. And then, Azura appeared to me again, and _praised_ me for killing Ayem. Maybe one day, I will forget, and return to the Lady of Dawn and Dusk, but it will not be anytime soon."

Elizabeth shook her head slowly. "I...I don't blame you."

Alzathiri tore her eyes away from the flickering fire. "I didn't think you would," she said quietly. "I pray to my ancestors every day to guard you and Martin from such a fate."

Elizabeth started and stared at the Dunmer, who stared right back, the corner of her mouth twitching into a smile.

She didn't sleep very well at all that night. The orders that she had read seemed to have reignited her anxiety, and indeed, made it worse than before. She tossed and turned, staring at the chilly, distant stars twinkling in the frosty sky. She dropped off a few times but slept fitfully, and once she had truly fallen asleep, she was tormented by nightmares. 

Alzathiri woke her early again, and if she hadn't had suffered through nightmares all night, she would have protested. As it was, she pried herself from the bedroll without complaint.

As they went farther south, as well as down in latitude, things changed from nearing winter, to a mild autumn. Elizabeth didn't complain at all as it got warmer, but she continued to be tormented by nightmares. 

They had passed the Imperial City, and begun to head back toward Kvatch when Elizabeth finally asked where they were actually going.

"I've heard a few stories of a shrine a little to the north of Skingrad," Alzathiri said, squinting at the cloudless sky. "I thought we'd start there."

"Skingrad?" Elizabeth said, remembering the city of tall spires and darkness. She shuddered slightly.

"Yes," Alzathiri said. "I thought it would be a nice change to sleep in a proper bed."

Elizabeth wondered what Martin and Brian were up to. She idly thought of maybe Martin missing her, or wondering where she was. Her heart fluttered in her chest, but not in an unpleasant way.

Brian was napping on the blanket that Martin had spread out for him to play on. Martin scowled at the book's pages, trying to wrestle the words into making sense. But however much he tried to force his mind back to the task at hand, his mind continued to wander back to Elizabeth. He wondered briefly what she was doing, and if she wondered about him too.

He remembered the goodbye they had shared, and he wondered, again, what would have happened if Alzathiri had not interrupted like that. He had come very close to finally admitting, both to her and to himself, that he loved the shy, fierce-hearted woman. 

"Are you alright?" Baurus said, sliding into the chair across from him. 

Martin sighed and pushed the book away from him. "I will be, eventually," he said. _Maybe_ , he added privately.

Elizabeth stared at the ceiling of the room that Alzathiri had rented for her in the Three Sisters Boarding House. It was warm, and the sheets were soft, but she missed the stars that would twinkle in the cold sky.

She turned over, and buried her face in the pillow, muffling her small whimper of frustration and discomfort. She missed Martin and Brian so much it felt like a persistent ache in her chest. She knew that nothing was going to happen to either of them, but her nightmares still plagued her in the depths of her mind.

_Martin,_ she thought desperately. _Brian_.

Martin gently laid Brian in the simple wooden cradle he had placed at the foot of his bed and tucked the blanket in around him. Brian snuggled in sleepily, blinking up at Martin with heavy eyelids.

"Goodnight, little Brian," Martin said tenderly. 

Brian smiled, already half asleep.

Martin turned to his own bed, a wild mess of tangled sheets and blankets. He hadn't bothered to make it that morning, and apparently the Blades has taken him seriously when he had told them to stay away from his room. 

He sighed and began to straighten the covers. Exhaustion crushed him in its leaden blanket, dulling everything except the painfully, starkly clear images of the haunting nightmares that repeated over and over. Over and over.

It made sleep torture. He could not close his burning eyes for one moment, or he would fall into the nightmare world that the Mysterium Xarxes had exquisitely crafted for him. His body and mind longed for the sweet release of the dreamlessness that Brian could enjoy, but the cursed book had other plans for him. 

For an unbidden moment, Martin had a fleeting thought of sleep in Elizabeth's arms. Of sweet kisses reassuring him that she was there. Of still feeling the touch of her hand on her shoulder that his heart ached for. 

He pushed the thought away quickly, feeling his face burn, and buried his tired face in his hands, begging the Divines for just one night of sleep. He was close, so close to cracking the nest item they needed, but it always remained maddeningly out of reach of his fatigue-fogged mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAA I'm getting performance anxiety about writing Martin and Elizabeth's relationship!! 😓


	41. The Shrine

It was midday by the time Elizabeth and Alzathiri sighted the pale statue of marble rising from the crown of a hillside. 

"We're nearly there," Elizabeth said, shading her eyes. For an autumn day, it was surprisingly warm. Both women had discarded their cloaks, and Elizabeth had rolled up her sleeves, exposing her bare arms to the sun.

"We'll see if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Alzathiri quipped and spurred her horse on.

The shrine was made in the image of a potbellied Daedra with a mug in his hand and a skull beneath his foot. Elizabeth grimaced and looked away.

"Alzathiri, are you sure we're at the right shrine?" she asked.

Alzathiri shrugged. "He's not the worst to _work_ for."

"You emphasized _work_ m" Elizabeth countered.

Alzathiri just grinned. "Come on," she said, sliding off her chestnut mare. Elizabeth followed, making Jerall whicker softly. Elizabeth patted her reassuringly.

"Welcome," a Bosmer greeted. Alzathiri nodded in recognition. 

"We have come to speak with your Lord, Sanguine," Alzathiri said.

"Your shrine?" Elizabeth murmured, not intending for anyone to hear, but the Bosmer's quick ears heard her anyway. 

"It is a place of celebration for us. We dance, we make love. He is our God, and we are his worshippers."

"What offerings does your Lord require?" Alzathiri said graciously. 

The Bosmer offered her a grin that glittered with sharp white teeth. "He prefers to be summoned with fine liquors committed to his keeping."

Alzathiri smiled.

Elizabeth sat on one of the benches, lost in her own thoughts. Alzathiri was doing something with the statue, but she wasn't particularly paying much attention.

"Hello, milady."

Elizabeth jumped. "What?"

It was one of the younger worshippers, a Bosmer woman about the same age as Elizabeth herself. She wore a carefree smile as she sat on the bench beside Elizabeth. "Who are you thinking about?" she asked easily.

"Oh. Just someone," Elizabeth said, feeling a blush rise to her cheeks.

"Handsome?"

Elizabeth smiled slightly. "Yeah," she sighed, half to herself.

The Bosmer looked up at the stars, a slight smile still on her lips. "What's his name?"

Elizabeth looked at the ground, her smile turning shy. "i--I probably should say."

"Doesn't matter," her companion said. "Have either of you confessed yet? Or are you still suffering nobly through your feelings?"

"You're very forward, did you know that?" Elizabeth said, deliberately avoiding the question.

The Bosmer shrugged. "I'm a Sanguinist."

Elizabeth shrugged. "Alright. Neither of us have said anything."

The Bosmer smirked. "Well, then. I think-"

"Elizabeth! Come here," Alzathiri called, her voice suddenly sharp.

Elizabeth pushed herself off the bench, muttering a quick word of apology to the Bosmer.

"What?" she asked, half nervously, half eagerly. "What did you do?"

The air _shimmered_ and a strange voice echoed through the air.

"Ah... More mortals, come to beg Sanguine to add a bit of spice to an otherwise drab existence. I would have you perform a service for me."

 _Here it comes..._ Elizabeth thought.

"The Castle Leyawiin is a dull, dreary place," the voice said, a bit of malicious humour colouring his voice. "The mistress is an especially somber soul, and tomorrow she will hold another excruciating dinner party. I want you to liven it up. Use this spell on the Countess and her guests. I think it will make the party much more interesting."

A small scroll popped out of the shimmering air, and landed at Elizabeth's feet. She crouched to pick it up, her eyes never leaving the anomalous shimmering in the air.

"You should probably try to be inconspicuous. Or they might kill you. Oh, and the party is by invitation only. You'll have to find a way in. Have fun!" 

Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak, and Alzathiri quickly put her hand over Elizabeth's mouth, effectively muzzling her. "How, Sanguine, to reach Leyawiin before tomorrow?" she asked, somehow remaining polite.

The shimmering stilled for a moment and Elizabeth thought that the Daedric Prince had left them to their own devices.

Then, in an instant of white light, they were standing in the streets of a raining city.


	42. Leyawiin

It was raining, and the air was thick and buggy. Elizabeth inhaled a small insect and started coughing. Alzathiri slapped her on the back.

"I think we have some things to do," Alzathiri said. Already, she had recovered from the surprise, and was starting to decide how they were going to go about this.

Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably as Alzathiri buttoned up the back of the blue-grey satin dress.

"Stop that," Alzathiri scolded. "You're making this even harder."

Elizabeth did her best to stop fidgeting, and dropped her eyes to the floor. After a few more minutes of fussing, Alzathiri stepped away.

"Turn around," she said. "Let's see."

Elizabeth did, twisting her hands nervously in the expensive fabric. Her hair was teased up into an elaborate crown of braids that wrapped around her head. Beneath the hem of her dress, her slippers of seal-grey peeked out.

Alzathiri smiled, her face softening slightly. "You look nice," she said. "Come on, let's find a mirror."

The dressmaker's shop had a variety of mirrors, for obvious reasons. Elizabeth half-smiled at her friend before she turned toward the mirror again.

"How were you carrying these dresses around with you?" she asked curiously. "Have you had them since our visit to Divine Elegance?"

Alzathiri smirked mischeiviously. "You'd be surprised at what I carry around in my magic pockets," she said. "Now turn around."

Elizabeth obeyed, and promptly muffled a gasp of surprise. She turned around slowly in front of the mirror, looking herself up and down.

"I'm pretty," she said in awe, staring at her reflection.

Alzathiri laughed. "You little goose. You always were pretty."

She passed a small amulet set with a blue stone on a slender chain to Elizabeth. "Put it on," she said. "If things really do go bad, hold it in your fist and tell it 'Take us home.' It should teleport us both back to Cloud Ruler Temple."

"Thank you," Elizabeth said, fastening it around her neck. "I don't know how I'm going to ever repay you for everything you've for me."

"Possibly by making me the godmother of the next Emperor," Alzathiri said blandly. Elizabeth looked at her sharply, but Alzathiri's expression was as innocent as possible.

Elizabeth felt almost uncomfortable walking the streets in her finery. She had grown used to nobody looking at her, or at least, nobody looking twice. To them, she was another nameless, faceless peasant. Now, she was a noble woman, and worthy of everyone's stares, and gawking attention. She disapproved.

"Stop fidgeting," Alzathiri said, noticing Elizabeth twisting the fabric of her skirt in hands that gripped the fabric so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. "Ignore them."

"Right," Elizabeth muttered, watching the castle guards eying her appreciatively. "Can we walk faster? I want this to be over already."

"Excuse me," a liveried page said, once they reached the doorway to the dining hall. "Before I let you, I must see your invitation."

Alzathiri, whose face had been so extravagantly made up that she looked like a completely different person, withered him with a single glance. "Stand aside, lowly boy," she said, in a voice that seemed at once stern and impatient. "My friend and I have travelled all the way from Morrowind to be here. If you say your mistress no longer desires my company..."

The page gulped nervously, and Elizabeth could honestly blame him. "I-I-I did not say that, milady," he stuttered. "I-I s-suppose you'll want to go straight in?"

"Thank you," Alzathiri said, rolling her eyes extravagantly, and she swept majestically past him. Elizabeth, feeling rather bad for him, handed him a septim she had hidden in her sleeve.

"Do you still have the scroll?" Alzathiri whispered to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth nodded, feeling the parchment sliding aginst her upper arm, smashed flat in the tight part of her sleeve.

"Good. We'll sit at the end of the table, and you can send the spell under the table. They'll never suspect we had anything to do with it."

Elizabeth looked around apprehensively, but said nothing. 

The Countess of Leyawiin sat carefully at the head of the table, and smiled. It was an odd, sickly sweet smile.

"Thank you all for coming," she said. Elizabeth restrained the urge to roll her eyes, and instead focused on her silver plate, promptly losing track of the Countess's speech.

The scroll prickled Elizabeth's arm, and she shifted posittion slightly, trying to get more comfortable.

Once they had finished with the fish course, Elizabeth was twitching in her chair again. Alzathiri poked under the table. 

"Sit still," she hissed.

"When are we going to cast it and get out of here?" Elizabeth hissed back. "I'm going stir-crazy!"

Alzathiri's eyes swept up and down the table. "After the servants have cleared the dishes, I suppose," she sighed. "Get ready." 

Elizabeth nodded, and tried to unobtrusively struggle the parchment out of her sleeve. Suddenly, she felt the Countess's eyes on her, and she froze. She looked up carefully, and tried to look polite and definitely _not_ like she was trying to slip a scroll out of her sleeve.

Eventually, the Countes shifted her gaze, and Elizabeth breathed a breath of relief. Alzathiri seemed to have not noticed, or perhaps, ignored the silent exchange. After that, Elizabeth tried to be much more subtle.

She breathed a sigh of relief as the parchment finally slipped out of her sleeve, and then noticed a potentially fatal flaw in the plan.

"Alzathiri?" she whispered urgently. "I can't read Daedric."

Alzathiri didn't even spare her a glance. "Just look," she said. 

"Alzathiri--"

" _Hurry_!"

Elizabeth gave up, and looked back down at the scroll. She squinted hard at the spiky, alien script, and somehow realized what she was supposed to say.

"Stark Reality," she whispered, and in a sudden burst of energy, the scroll vanished in a spout of green flame. Elizabeth bit back a yelp of surprise, but when she instinctually dropped the burning scroll, it clung to her hand. In a sudden, adrenaline-filled moment, she realized that she felt nothing from the green glow. No heat, no pain.

"Throw it," Alzathiri hissed out the side of her mouth. 

Elizabeth hesitated for the merest millisecond before she obeyed, but she threw the globe of green fire beneath the table.

She prayed that nothing was going to explode.


	43. A Slight Disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Subtitle: (In which Elizabeth cannot stop blushing at all)

For a moment nothing happened. Elizabeth's breath hitched in her throat, and she was certain that she had done something wrong.

Then, the spell took effect, and in a sudden and violent burst of green light. Elizabeth thought she heard someone scream.

 _Oh_ , she thought. _Great._

And then the light was gone, and Elizabeth, feeling suddenly dizzy, fell out of her chair. The stone was cold on her bare skin. 

It took her less than a heartbeat to figure out what Sanguine's joke had been. She tried to cover her suddenly uncovered body with her hands as she stumbled to her feet, but her reaction was nothing compared to that of the Countess and her guests. Sudden and piercing shrieks sliced the air, and suddenly, there was a full fledged stampede going on. Elizabeth almost felt like laughing at the sight.

Alzathiri hauled her up by the arm. It seems that nobody in the room had escaped the chaotic efects of the spell, not even the Nerevarine. Elizabeth couldn't help but notice a large scar on her friend's lean, ash-grey form, but then she looked away, blushing.

"Come on," Alzathiri said, either not noticing, or not bothered by her own nudity. Her mouth was compressed into a thin line, and she was grimly calm.

Elizabeth felt a stranger's stare on her back and blushed like fire. Alzathiri raised an eyebrow, and Elizabeth hung her head. She just wished that people wouldn't stare so. She had certainly not been prepared for this, and she felt as if she was behaving like a foolish little child.

"Come on," Alzathiri said, her expression softening. "I'll find you something to cover yourself with."

"Sorry," Elizabeth muttered, blushing again. It seemed her face was going to remain just about as red as beet for the remainder of the situation. Alzathiri shook her head.

"Nothing to be ashamed of," she said, shoving a distraught Imperial out of the way. "Just ignore them. Or punch them."

Suddenly, a shriek, one so piercing that Alzathiri was forced to cover her ears, split the air. "IT'S THEM!" a woman screamed, pointing a trembling finger at Elizabeth and Alzathiri. "THEY DID IT!"

"Oh, damn it," Elizabeth whispered as everyone turned to them.

"Excellent adjective," Alzathiri completemented. "Do you still have your necklace?"

Elizabeth shook her head mutely. Alzathiri swore, and seized her friend around the shoulders as the crowd surged forward. At least, Elizabeth thought it was a curse, but then the world disappeared in a now-familiar burst of lilac light. 

They reappeared in the Chapel. It was thankfully late enough at night that it was totally deserted. Things were already difficult enough without dealing with a scandalized mess of priest. 

Elizabeth was glad that her first assumption that Alzathiri had taken them to Cloud Ruler Temple was wrong. She was, after all, buck nude, and she did _not_ want to pop out of the air wearing nothing but her skin. That was one scandalized priest face she had already seen before.

"Do you mind wearing conjured armour?" Alzathiri asked, her voice echoing slightly in the quiet. 

Elizabeth shook her head, staring at the beautiful altar that stood in honour of Zenithar. The white marble was gleaming in the dim candlelight, and Elizabeth felt wonderfully, and strangely at peace, in this Divine Sanctuary.

There was a sound almost like a _pop_ and Elizabeth suddenly felt herself uncased in a suit of hard metal. She muffled her instinctive yelp of surprise, and whirled with a screech of metal on stone. Alzathiri was similarly garbed. 

"Let's get out of here," Alzathiri said, her voice muffled by her helmet.

They bought some clothes from a fairly terrified merchant the day after the debacle, and then rode out of town as fast as their steeds could carry them. 

Elizabeth was NOT happy with Sanguine.

The statue to Sanguine gleamed as irritatingly as ever in the autumn sunlight. Elizabeth stood behind Alzathiri as the Dunmer stepped forth to summon him. But before she could speak, the tell-tale shimmer in the air appeared again, and the snide voice of the Daedric Prince again rang in her ears.

"A rousing success mortals!" he chortled. "And it seems that you both joined the festivities as well. Good for you. You need to lighten up a bit."

Eiizabeth opened her mouth to speak, but Sanguine cut her off. "You'll find your equipment in that chest over there, and here is a little somthing for your efforts. Maybe we'll celebrate again sometime..."

A gnarled staff popped out of the air, and hit Elizabeth on the head, prompting a vile word to pop into her head, but she bit it back.

"Come on," Alzathiri said, clapping Elizabeth on the back. "Let's go home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope it's not too bad. :( I literally wrote it at like midnight, and only just got around to posting it.


	44. The Rose of Sanguine

It was evening when they reached Cloud Ruler Temple again. Elizabeth, gazing up at the sunset-gilded towers, felt a sense of peace that was almost like coming home. She would get to see Martin and Brian again.

Alzathiri caught her quick glance toward the Great Hall Gate and smiled. 

"You go on," she said, taking Jerall's bridle. "I'm sure your boys have missed you."

Elizabeth smiled gratefully at her friend.

Martin didn't look up when she pushed open the door, buried in his book. Brian did though, and _immediately_ let Martin know who had come home.

"Calm down, Brian," Martin muttered tiredly, still not looking up. "I don't see what--" Then he did look up, and his expression made Elizabeth's entire trip worth it. 

"It's nice to be back," Elizabeth said warmly. She had just enough time to brace herself before Martin crashed into her and hugged her as if he would never let go. Brian joined in with enthusiasm.

"I missed you," Martin said, his voice sounding suspiciously thick. 

Elizabeth didn't say anything. Her heart was too full, and she was worried that if she said anything, everything would spill out.

Martin finally let go, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry," he said. "I...I missed you."

Elizabeth had to smile back. "I could tell." She brushed his hollow cheek gently. "You look terrible," she told him accusingly. "Have you been getting _any_ sleep?"

Martin looked down, the skin around his eyes tightening. Elizabeth held back her scold, and pulled him and Brian back into a hug. 

"You idiot," she told him affectionately. 

Elizabeth was sitting on the bench, opposite Martin, and dandling Brian on her knee when Alzathiri came in. The Dunmer slid next to her, and propped her chin on her hands.

"Elizabeth probably told you already, but we found your Daedric artifact," she told him. 

"I guessed as much," he said. "What was it?"

Alzathiri pulled a face Elizabeth. "If she didn't get it, it's still with the saddlebags."

Elizabeth blushed, and got up quickly. "I'll go get it. Sorry." 

Martin's face went ashy as soon as he saw the gnarled staff in Elizabeth's hands. "Divines above," he said, scrambling out of his chair. "I-I never thought I'd see this again."

Elizabeth handed it to him, but he set it the side hastily, as if afriad to touch it. "I'm not going to ask what you went through to obtain this," he said. "I know all to well the depravity of the Daedric Princes of Oblivion."

Elizabeth dropped her eyes to the floor, hoping to hide her blush. 

"That's probably a good thing," Alzathiri said humorously. Elizabeth glared at her.


	45. Long, Cold Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Re write of the previous two chapters because I SUCK AT ROMANCE!

The days slipped into a cold, white mist of snow flurries. 

"It's Longnight tonight," Alzathiri said casually, pulling her snow-and-manured boots off and placing them beside the fire. 

Elizabeth looked up sharply from the book that she had been studying with Martin. "The solstice?" she said.

Alzathiri nodded absently. "Mhm," she said, wrestling with her boot. "Why?" 

"Nothing," Elizabeth said quickly, looking down to the book again.

Unfortunately, both Martin and Alzathiri knew her a little too well. Both had heard the slight catch in her voice, and both had seen her eyes grow suspiciously bright before she had dropped her eyes.

"Excuse me," Elizabeth said, all but hiding behind Brian and fleeing the room.

The library was quiet, cold, and above all, empty. Elizabeth crumpled behind a bookcase, doing her best not to spill the tears that burned her eyes.

Solstice. Christmas. Her family, so far away.

Her throat burned like fire, and she had to muffle a dry sob. Brian patted her face, making concerned noises. Elizabeth nodded to thank him, unable to speak.

"Elizabeth?" Martin asked, his brow furrowed in concern. "Are you alright?"

She nodded furiously, still not willing to open her mouth.

Martin sat beside her, concern writ large in his face. "Is...I mean, I don't want to intrude if its private."

Elizabeth shook her head. "I miss my family," she blurted, before she could think better of it.

Martin looked as lost for words as she did sometimes. He opened his mouth, and then closed it again, looking as if he felt slightly foolish.

"I'm sorry," he finally managed. "What happened ?"

Elizabeth shrugged dejectedly, no longer caring that tears were flowing openly down her face. "I don't know," she whispered. 

Martin helped her to her feet. "If there's anything I can do, I'll do it," he told her. Almost shyly, he reached across the space between them, and wiped away her tears.

She giggled in a somewhat watery way. "Thank you," she said. "For everything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was supposed to do this before the Christmas holidays!! ARRRG.  
> So yes, I took down the other two chaters because they were awful (I'd be surprised if I have any active readers after those updates, lol), and postponed The Confession™  
> If , by some miracle I do still have any readers, I'd like to heartily apologize for my absence. I'm going to try and be more active again because I really do enjoy working on this book.


	46. Friendly Sparring

Elizabeth pushed open one of the side doors to the Great Hall, Brian awake and bouncing in her arms.

Martin looked up from his books, his bright blue eyes sparkling. "What's afoot?" he asked, willingly taking the chubby child from Elizabeth.

"Could you hold on to him for just a little while?" Elizabeth asked, sounding almost shy about asking the favour. "I need to go find Baurus."

"Baurus? Why?" Martin asked curiously. Brian reached up to tug the untidy brown fringe of hair that was beginning to creep past Martin's shoulders. The priest winced and disentangled his chubby fingers.

"I'm learning unarmed fighting from him today," Elizabeth said, propping her chin on her interlaced fingers. "...you know, because Alzathiri's in Bruma."

Martin cast a wry look at her. "I know," he said wearily.

Elizabeth squinted down at the scribbles of black-inked writing and parchments that scattered across the table. "How are you doing?" she asked quietly.

"I'm getting closer to a possible translation," Martin said, an enthusiastic fire gleaming in his eyes. "It's just along the edges of my mind but I _know_ I'll find it soon."

"That's not what I meant," Elizabeth told him earnestly. "I meant how are _you_ doing?"

Martin quickly looked away, and refused to meet her eyes again. "I'm alright," he said awkwardly.

Elizabeth blew out a quick sigh of frustration. "No, you're not," she insisted. "You're not eating. You're barely sleeping. Don't think I haven't noticed."

Martin mouth twisted in a half-wry smile. "I'll be fine."

"We'll all be fine... I hope," Elizabeth added after a moment's pause.

Martin chuckled under his breath. He looked up, and almost met her eyes, but changed his mind with the words halfway out of his mouth. 

"So you're training with Baurus while Alzathiri is gone," he said. 

Elizabeth gave him the kind of look that told him she knew exactly what he was doing. "Yes," she said, her mouth twisted up on one side. "I suppose I should be glad Jauffre decided to keep me in your 'personal guard,' " she said. "But I guess I do sort of miss adventuring with Alzathiri."

" 'Personal guard?' " Martin echoed.

"Yep."

"Elizabeth?" Baurus interrupted. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"No, no!" Elizabeth said immediately. "I'll be right there."

She jumped off the bench she had been sitting on. "I'll be back for Brian," she said, and before she could second-guess herself, she swooped in and pressed a quick kiss to Martin's stubbled cheek.

Elizabeth wrapped the white cloth around her knuckles, glaring at the sand-filled punching bag. "Remember what we promised," she reminded.

Baurus laughed, a full, deep, rich-timbered laugh. "How could I forget? No fighting dirty this time."

"Hey!" Elizabeth exclaimed with feigned offence. "I don't fight dirty."

The heavy sack barely moved under her blows. Baurus glanced over. 

"Fists a little higher," he reminded.

"Still hurts," Elizabeth joked.

"Whiner."

She held up her hands in a gesture of mock surrender. "Alright, alright! Gods forbid I should get any time off while Alzathiri's away."

Baurus laughed again. "Of course not," he told her. "That's not the way of the Blades. Free time is an illusion."

"Meal times doubly so," Elizabeth shot back, grinning.

This time, she set the bag to swinging faintly.

"C'mon," Elizabeth teased, lifting her bandaged hands. "Afraid to hit a girl?"

"No," Baurus shot back. "I'm afraid of getting kicked again."

"it was an instinctual reaction," Elizabeth defended, dancing out of range of Baurus' lunge. 

Baurus grunted. "You aren't supposed to kick people when you wrestle."

Elizabeth ducked and rammed into Baurus' chest, winding him and sending him backward.

"No fair," Baurus gasped, trying to roll with the impact.

"Sorry," Elizabeth said ruefully. "That worked better than I expected."

"It's fine," Baurus whispered. He stared up at her, trying to get his breath back. "Just...give me--" he cut off, staring up at her. A thought he had never even considered flitted to the front of his mind, and that did more to steal his breath than landing on the wooden floor had.

Her brow creased in worry. "Are you alright?" 

It was on the tip of his tongue to say 'No,' but he bit his words back. "I'm fine," he managed, his heart thudding strangely in his chest. "Can I have a hand, please?"

Her once-smooth, know-calloused and roughened hand closed around his, and pulled him to his feet with a surprising amount of strength. Baurus stumbled to his feet, his mind whirling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DRAMA!!
> 
> Ok, soory. I guess I just like torturing my poor characters. ;-;


	47. Another Gate

It almost seemed that Elizabeth had only just gotten off her watch and fallen back into bed when she was being shaken awake again.

Baurus leaned over her, a candle sputtering on the sidetable. "Wake up," he hissed urgently. "Jauffre needs you."

"What?" Elizabeth said, feeling stupid. "I didn't do it."

Despite the air of tense urgency, Baurus had to smile, his teeth flashing in the dark. "I'm sure you didn't," he said. "An Oblivion Gate has just opened outside Bruma."

Elizabeth was dressed in record time. She bolted up to Jauffre's study, a sleepy Brian in her arms. Martin was there, his tired blue-grey eyes bewildered. Jauffre stood behind his desk in full Blades armour, a dai-katana belted to his back. His face was drawn from lack of sleep, but his eyes were as sharp as ever.

"Elizabeth," he said without preamble. "I need your help."

"Me?" Elizabeth asked. "Why?"

Jauffre's smile was quick and terse. "You are the only one within running distance who knows anything about Oblivion Gates," he said. "I hate to put you in this situation, but we need you."

Elizabeth swallowed hard, remembering the last time that she had gone willingly into Oblivion. 

"Captain Burd has requested you specifically," Jauffre said somberly. "Baurus will accompany you as well."

Elizabeth bit down hard on the inside of her cheek. "Yes sir," she muttered when she had got her tongue under control again. "We'll leave right away."

Jauffre nodded. "Thank you," he said. "Good luck to you both."

 _We're gonna need it,_ Elizabeth thought grimly. 

"I'm going to need you to take Brian," Elizabeth asked as she turned to Martin, her hands and eyes suddenly turning awkward and gentle. Baurus turned away his eyes suddenly sad.

"Of course," Martin said quickly. "Good luck to you both."

Baurus nodded. "Thank you," he said gruffly.

They could see the infernal glow from the other side of Bruma. It blazed into the sky, blotting out the stars with crimson fire. Baurus cursed under his breath, but the knife-edged wind brought his words to Elizabeth's ears.

"Come on," Baurus said grimly, and Elizabeth spurred Jerall into a full gallop.

The Gate was surrounded by a brave collection of sharpened logs that seemed to be held together with hope and rope. Tired soldiers stood behind, their ashen faces turned a sickly yellow-red by the unnatural lights that danced around the fringe of the fiery portal. An enormous man, standing almost a full head and shoulders above the rest stood at the very front, a claymore in his hands. He bellowed orders at the top of his lungs, a booming voice that could be heard even over the crimson lightning that lanced through the unnatural storm above.

Elizabeth slid off the horse, and passed the reins to Baurus. "There's Burd," she murmured, inclining her head toward the giant of a man. "Take the horses to the stables, please."

Baurus' eyes flicked from the roiling mass of bloodstained clouds to Elizabeth's face. "All right," he said. "Don't start without me."

Elizabeth almost smiled. "Would I do that?" she asked innocently, her hands subconsciously checking the know-familiar weight of the katana on her hip. She started toward the defenses, hiding her instinctive fear as best she could.

"Welcome, milady," Burd boomed gloomily as she approached. He regarded the Gate warily as he spoke, his eyes never far from the accursed hell-gate. "Thank you for coming. Since we had the Hero of Kvatch available I didn't think it made sense to try this on or own the first time."

Elizabeth nodded tightly, her nails biting into her clenched palm. The Hero of Kvatch, was she? She didn't feel like a hero. Heroes didn't feel like this on the ee of battle. Heroes were people like Alzathiri. She was just a girl in a foreign reality.

She shook away the decidedly unhelpful thoughts.

"Can you give me a minute to talk to my men?" Burd asked. "Everyone's a bit jumpy right now."

Permission? He was asking _her_ for permission? She stood up straighter. "They're your men, Captain," she said. "By all means."

His answering smile was quick and humourless.

Baurus slipped up next to her, his helmet gleaming dully in the reddish light. "Ready?" he asked quietly.

"As I'll ever be," she replied, shifting her hand to her katana's hilt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Published!Updated!Yay!


	48. Oblivion Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter at last! Yay! Sorry for the long, any-active-readers-I-might-have-left. :P

The fire spat Elizabeth onto the harsh stones, and she once again found herself in the wastelands of Oblivion.

The crimson skies above cracked with unnatural lighting, and a hot, sulfurous wind blew the stinking lava gases into their faces. Tufts of blood-veined grasses, tough as ropes, sprouted between the rocks and reached for the swirling sky.

"Nice place," one of the guards said nervously. 

Elizabeth smiled, albeit briefly and bitterly. "It is, at that," she said sourly. "Come on."

"There is no need for you to be awake, my lord," Jauffre said. The old man was still sheathed from head to foot in his enameled armour, his face drawn and tired.

Martin looked up from the Xarxes, his eyes weary and yet restless. "Don't tell me to go to sleep, Jauffre," he said, perhaps a little too sharply. "I couldn't if I wanted to."

Jauffre sighed softly, and his sharp eyes gentled somewhat. "I'm sorry milord," he professed quietly. "I worry for you. You need sleep as much as anyone else."

Martin passed a hand across his dry and burning eyes. "I know," he murmured. The rustle of the parchment pages was almost loud in the stillness of night. 

In the cradle at Martin's feet, Brian stirred slightly. Martin bent to shush him with a gentle hand. Jauffre watched like an eagle, his fierce gaze missing nothing.

"Elizabeth will be fine," Jauffre said. "She can take care of herself, and if you force this, she'll be taking care of you too when she comes back. For your own sake, Martin, I insist that you try to get some rest."

Burd straightened, stinking orangish blood dripping from the claymore's edge. The scamp, crushed beneath the enormous weight of the sword, was left in a crumpled heap. Elizabeth matched blades with a dremora, privately thanking Alzathiri for the long and frequently painful lessons. Baurus skillfully fended off a frilled lizard-creature, dodging the grasping claws.

The dremora parried Elizabeth's strike toward his helm, and tried to force the blade back with his mace-head. Elizabeth's muscles sang in agony, but she locked her teeth together and slid away, skipping backward to avoid the strike that lay in wait. The dremora growled, a scraping, almost metallic sound. Elizabeth struck again, wounding the robed figure in the shoulder. 

Martin stared at the wooden ceiling, his eyes burning and tired. Sleep brought no rest, and no amount of rest could erase the dreams that bloomed through his skull when he closed his eyes.

The shielding spells and sheer willpower with which he protected himself were barely adequate. The Xarxes was doing its best to sink its insidious claws into his mind and soul; and it was almost succeeding. 

The sheets were cool against his fevered skin, but nothing soothed his fevered mind.

Except Brian. Brian's peaceful little face and chubby fists. And Elizabeth. Elizabeth's kindly eyes and shy movements. 

Brian whimpered in his sleep, and Martin reached out to comfort him.

Elizabeth and the three others stumbled wearily toward the sky-reaching Sigil Tower. A clawmark scored through Elizabeth's arm, clumsily bandaged with a strip from her tunic. Dents gleamed in Baurus' chestplate. Ashes and blood were caked to Burd's sword.

Elizabeth pushed open the door of solid stone, wincing at the grinding, grating sound of stone on stone. A fireball bolted out of the of the dark, stinking opening, and the battle was rejoined. 

Elizabeth crossed swords with another dremora, this one with a longsword to match her own. He snarled, pressing the advantage that his heavy, two-handed sword gave him.

The pillar of fire loomed behind Elizabeth, rising from the bubbling pool of molten gold. She realized that this heavily armoured swordfighter was far more competent than she, and he was forcing her, slowly but surely, back toward the infernally hot cauldron of bubbling liquid.

_Fighting dirty._

She ducked his swing, the heavy blade thrumming through the air above her head. The momentum of the heavy blade carried him forward, and Elizabeth stuck out her foot, praying that it wouldn't hurt too much. 

With a clatter, the heavily armoured Daedra fell, his head cracking against the stone wall with a particularly nasty sound. Elizabeth winced, less at the sound and more at what the spiked armour had done to her leg. She bit down hard on her tongue, willing herself not to cry at the burning lances of pain that knifed through her calf.

"Are you alright?" Baurus asked. Elizabeth brushed him off.

"I'm fine," she insisted as she got to her feet. She tested the injured leg gingerly, and though she wobbled a little, it held. 

The tower wound around and around the central well in maddeningly indirect ways. The air was close and stinking. 

Elizabeth's leg was bleeding sluggishly, and dully painful. She shook off the pain as best she could and continued. Burd had been wounded much worse when a trapped blade fell from the ceiling on him and his men. Much like Elizabeth, he shook off his wounded shoulder and pressed on. 

It occurred to Elizabeth that this journey seemed longer than the Kvatch gate. She wondered if it really was taking longer, or if she was simply more aware of the time passing this time around.

Burd cast a sour eye up the long well. "How much farther do we have to go?" he grumbled. 

"All the way to the top," Elizabeth said, her tone infused with grim humour. 

A mutter of curses went around the room.

Red flesh stretched taught, pulsed over their heads. Burd looked up apprehensively at the sanguine ceiling, his ice-blue eyes clearly doubtful as to how much weight it could handle. 

"It'll be alright," Elizabeth said, catching the look on his face. "Trust me."

Baurus glanced at Elizabeth's roughly bandaged leg, a flash of worry darting across his face. "How are you holding up?" he asked, trying for teasing unconcern.

"I'm fine," Elizabeth said quickly. "Just needed a quick breather, that's all."

The fire-run on the door in front of them gleamed in the red-fogged darkness. Elizabeth stretched out a hand, and then pulled it back, remembering something.

"There will be Daedra," she said. "I need you to keep them off my back as best you can, and I'll get to the Sigil Stone. Agreed?"

The arched flesh, drawn taut over the floors, throbbed like an open sore. Clawed spines jutted out in a ring; a crude and inelegant staircase, and one that is dipped in crimson.

A fireball lanced through the air, glancing off of the stone just above Elizabeth's head. A scamp chittered angrily and a dremora roared a guttural warning. 

"Here we go again," Burd muttered, his claymore in his hands once more.

Elizabeth dodged another fireball, and dashed up the stepped claws. The scamp snarled and swiped at her with cruelly clawed hands that raked through her leather-padded tunic. Furrows of white-hot pain erupted along Elizabeth's chest and arm, and she yelled in pain. The scamp's triumphant chuckle was brought short by a sweep of her katana.

A dremora, armored like a tank and probably twice as heavy, blocked Burd's way.

She scrambled up the steep, squishy slope of red, raw, flesh that was stretched from metal bone to metal bone, following the pillar of fire. 

Burd swore explosively, and lurched backward, clutching his bloodied and useless arm. His claymore dragged in one hand. The dremora was in worse shape, if that was possible. Baurus still battled the fire atronach.

Elizabeth gritted her teeth and kept climbing. 

"Ho, mortal!" a dremora growled, his scraping, metallic voice ringing in her ears. She scrambled upright, fumbling for her katana. It hissed, an echo of his harsh voice.

He was taller than the tank-armoured dremora who fought Burd down below. His flame-ringed horns curled above vermillion hair and eyes that burned like embers.

"What?" she asked. Perhaps not the wisest thing, but she was tired and painful and just wanted to go home. 

He hissed. "Watch your tongue, mortal. You cannot close the Gate."

"Can't I?"

"You test my patience, mortal," he said dismissively. "Run home."

Anger bubbled up in her chest. "No," she said defiantly. 

His eyebrows snapped together in a scowl. "You shall not pass," he hissed venomously.

She shrugged, trying for irritating carelessness. "Try me."

In retrospect, it wasn't the wisest thing she could have said. The dremora moved like lightning, and the mace in his hand came down hard. Elizabeth blocked it, and staggered backwards under the sheer strength of demon. 

_Damn it._

She dodged out, hoping she was fast enough to avoid the sweeping mace. 

And it worked. The daedra lurched forward, but regained his balance and turned again to her. She lunged toward him with a clumsy crosscut the he swiped aside as easily as a fly. She danced backward, painfully aware of the steep fall mere feet away. He pressed his advantage, and swung toward her head. 

She ducked and feinted. He dodged and swung. 

"End this tiresome dance!" he growled. "Surrender, and your death will be quicker."

Elizabeth didn't respond. Instead, she lashed out again, and her cold steel scored a deep slice in his. He howled with both surprise and pain, stumbling backward as he tried to wipe the blood out of his eyes.

Elizabeth took her chance, and lunged forward, grasping for the burning globe that stood in the pillar of fire. 

A blast of fire-red pain erupted in the small of her back. She doubled over, a tearing scream of agony erupting from her lips. Through a haze of blurred tears, she saw the dremora climb to his feet, the remains of scroll crumbling into ashes in his hands.

Through the pain, she lurched to her feet, and swept the burning stone off of the pillar of fire. As it had before, it burned and then grew cool in her hands. 

Oblivion vanished in a burst of light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, funny thing... the reason this took so long to get out was because I kept accidentally deleting all my progress. :/ I'll try to update sooner this time.


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